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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: snap · saw · squash · date · coach · nail · ball · sharp

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. snap — to click
  4. squash — to crush
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. sharp — clever
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. date — the fruit
  18. squash — the sport
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ball — a dance
  24. date — on the calendar

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