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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: nail · straw · sharp · firm · court · pop · staff · fan

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. sharp — clever
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of law
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. firm — decided
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pop — to visit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. court — of a king
  15. firm — steady
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — for sport
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pop — soda
  22. firm — a company
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. nail — for a hammer

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