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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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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 · snap · bark · fork · squash · pit · present · bat

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pit — in a race
  9. snap — to click
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. squash — the sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. present — there
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. sharp — clever

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