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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: kick · sharp · ball · nail · craft · pop · kid · straw

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. craft — boats
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kick — in football
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pop — music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. craft — a skill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pop — soda
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kid — to tease

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