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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: coach · firm · saw · staff · sharp · club · last · nail

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. club — for golf
  3. saw — the tool
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. last — to go on
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. firm — decided
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. last — finally
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — final
  18. staff — a stick
  19. club — a group
  20. sharp — clever
  21. firm — a company
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. club — for dancing

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