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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: scale · hand · mine · sharp · wake · bowl · firm · arm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. scale — in music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. firm — a company
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hand — help
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. firm — steady
  22. mine — for digging
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mine — an explosive

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