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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: nail · stand · sharp · scale · tear · net · pop · ball

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. net — for catching
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pop — soda
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — in sport
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ball — a dance
  18. net — after costs
  19. pop — music
  20. ball — a great time
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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