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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: march · mouse · nail · swing · sharp · staff · bay · pitcher

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — in golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. march — the month
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. swing — music
  20. march — music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mouse — for a computer

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