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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: rest · game · fork · bowl · mark · rash · sharp · pitch

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rash — hasty
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pitch — completely
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rash — a series
  24. rest — a break

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