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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. board — to get on
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — clever
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mug — to rob
  13. present — a gift
  14. last — final
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bark — to shout
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. present — there
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mug — a face
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. present — the time now
  24. bark — of a tree

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