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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · file · wind · mate · nail · sharp · key · last

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mate — to breed
  3. last — finally
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mate — a friend
  6. file — a tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. key — in music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. last — final
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mate — a partner
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. last — to go on
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a document
  21. wind — moving air
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a line of people

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