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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 · drill · straw · spell · nail · game · scale · craft

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. sharp — clever
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. scale — in music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spell — a short time
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spell — letters
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. craft — boats
  17. drill — the tool
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. drill — army training
  21. game — wild animals
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — a skill
  24. scale — for weighing

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