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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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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: last · bat · bore · hand · file · nail · mark · firm

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bat — the animal
  6. file — a document
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. firm — steady
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bore — to tire
  14. last — to go on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mark — a trace
  19. firm — decided
  20. hand — help
  21. firm — a company
  22. last — final
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. hand — in cards

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