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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 120 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: deal · mark · tear · sharp · mate · nail · last · present

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mark — a grade
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. mate — a partner
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. tear — to rip
  20. deal — to handle
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mark — a trace
  23. present — a gift
  24. deal — a big deal

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