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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — to drop
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. scale — in music
  10. last — finally
  11. fork — in a road
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. sharp — clever
  19. last — to go on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — final
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fall — the season

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