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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: bass · content · mark · straw · nail · file · last · can

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. file — a document
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. bass — low music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mark — a grade
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. content — the amount
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — finally
  18. file — a tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. content — happy
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bass — the fish
  24. can — a tin

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