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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 120 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 · cue · net · object · wound · suit · bat · bark

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. object — to protest
  5. suit — to fit
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bat — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. object — a thing
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — after costs
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. object — an aim
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. suit — clothes
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bat — in an idiom

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