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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: nail · straw · ruler · calf · fan · sharp · file · fine

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fine — high quality
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a document
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. nail — for a hammer

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