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

Word bank: club · band · cue · wound · safe · cap · fork · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wound — an injury
  10. club — a group
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cap — a hat
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fork — in a road
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cue — for pool
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. band — a ring
  21. cap — a lid
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. band — a music group

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