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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: ball · nail · sharp · fork · mark · fall

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ball — a great time
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fork — in a road
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. ball — a round shape

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