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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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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: bowl · mark · sharp · straw · pit · club · fork · wake

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pit — in a race
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. club — a group
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. club — for golf
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pit — a hole
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mark — a grade
  24. club — for dancing

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