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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: field · file · toast · sharp · last · nail · wound · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. field — a subject
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — finally
  8. field — for sport
  9. toast — bread
  10. file — a document
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — to go on
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. file — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — final
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. field — farmland
  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