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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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Word bank
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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: plane · date · jam · snap · fork · file · nail · content

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. content — the amount
  3. snap — to click
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. file — a line of people
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. file — a document
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. content — happy
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. fork — in a road

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