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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: nail · sharp · ground · pitch · march · rock · hand · foot

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. march — the month
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hand — in cards
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rock — a stone
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — a position
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. march — music
  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