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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.

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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 · scale · sharp · net · kick · wake · last · nail

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. suit — in cards
  4. last — finally
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. net — in sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — in music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. net — for catching
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. suit — to fit
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wake — a trail
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — after costs
  22. kick — in football
  23. suit — clothes
  24. nail — for a hammer

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