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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: sharp · club · bat · pit · rush · cabinet · nail · saw

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. club — for dancing
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — a group
  20. bat — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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