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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · pitcher · bark · net · game · bound · sharp · current

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. game — wild animals
  5. current — happening now
  6. bark — to shout
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. current — of water
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — clever
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. current — electric
  24. net — after costs

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