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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · pit · nail · scale · squash · last · kick · saw

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. squash — the sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. scale — size or range
  7. squash — to crush
  8. saw — the tool
  9. scale — in music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. kick — in football
  13. pit — a hole
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — finally
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. last — final
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pit — in a race
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. row — a line

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