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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: cue · sharp · cap · bat · pit · bark · arm · content

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cap — a lid
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. content — happy
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bat — the animal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cap — of ice
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. content — the amount
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cap — a hat

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