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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: cabinet · pitch · row · safe · board · bark · tube · sharp

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. row — a line
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. tube — the underground
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. tube — a container
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. sharp — clever
  15. board — a committee
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitch — completely
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. board — to get on
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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