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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: nail · foot · bat · object · snap · ball · net · scale

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. foot — a measure
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. net — in sport
  10. bat — the animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. ball — a dance
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. net — for catching
  16. object — to protest
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. scale — in music
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. net — after costs
  24. ball — a great time

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