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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: file · jam · nail · saw · deal · content · hand · court

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. deal — to handle
  3. content — the amount
  4. hand — help
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. file — a line of people
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hand — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. content — happy
  15. court — for sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. court — of a king
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. court — of law
  24. deal — a big deal

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