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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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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 · rash · last · sharp · perch · firm · lash · field

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. field — for sport
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. field — farmland
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. firm — decided
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. firm — a company
  11. perch — the fish
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — final
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — to go on
  16. firm — steady
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — a series
  23. last — finally
  24. perch — for a bird

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