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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: scale · foot · sharp · nail · fine · pit · land · fall

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. scale — size or range
  3. sharp — clever
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. scale — in music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. land — ground
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pit — in a race
  14. land — a country
  15. fall — the season
  16. land — to come down
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pit — a hole
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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