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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: nail · mouse · bark · mine · bat · mug · sharp · court

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. court — of a king
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. court — for sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. court — of law
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mug — a face
  14. mine — for digging
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mug — to rob

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