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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: file · object · lean · march · deal · snap · key · land

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. land — a country
  3. lean — thin
  4. deal — to handle
  5. object — a thing
  6. key — for a lock
  7. snap — to click
  8. march — the month
  9. key — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. key — the most important part
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. march — music
  14. file — a document
  15. land — to come down
  16. object — to protest
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. land — ground
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. lean — to bend
  21. object — an aim
  22. file — a line of people
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lean — to rest against

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