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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: suit · ball · sharp · saw · file · staff · nail · wound

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wound — an injury
  4. suit — clothes
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. saw — the tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a document
  12. ball — a great time
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. staff — employees
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. file — a tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wound — an injury

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