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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 116 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.

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: nail · scale · craft · last · kick · game · bark · content

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. content — happy
  4. craft — a skill
  5. content — the amount
  6. last — to go on
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. game — a match
  9. scale — size or range
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. last — final
  17. game — wild animals
  18. craft — boats
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bark — to shout
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. kick — in football
  24. scale — in music

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