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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.

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: toast · nail · fine · bat · pound · file · staff · hand

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bat — the animal
  3. file — a document
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. file — a tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fine — all right
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. fine — high quality
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — employees
  24. nail — on a finger

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