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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: mine · nail · craft · file · bay · chair · straw · mouse

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chair — a leader
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. craft — a skill
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a document

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