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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: saw · sharp · ball · present · last · chip · net · bark

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. chip — for betting
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — a gift
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. present — the time now
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. net — after costs
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chip — to eat
  15. net — for catching
  16. ball — a dance
  17. net — in sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. present — there
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — finally

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