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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: arm · staff · pitcher · bark · game · sharp · object · roll

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — clever
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. staff — employees
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — to shout
  9. object — an aim
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. object — to protest
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — a thing
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. roll — a list
  24. pitcher — a jug

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