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

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. club — for dancing
  5. current — of water
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rest — a break
  9. current — happening now
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. kick — in football
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fork — in a road

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