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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: sharp · clip · nail · hand · stick · firm · file · scale

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — help
  4. firm — a company
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. file — a document
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — size or range
  20. file — a tool
  21. firm — decided
  22. file — a line of people
  23. scale — in music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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