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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · file · jam · swing · wind · last · snap · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. snap — to click
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. file — a tool
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. swing — music
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. swing — to play on
  16. last — final
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fork — in a road
  19. file — a line of people
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. file — a document
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com