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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: racket · straw · rest · fork · sharp · march · object · game

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. march — the month
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a match
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fork — in a road
  13. object — a thing
  14. march — music
  15. object — an aim
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rest — a break
  19. object — to protest
  20. game — wild animals
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. game — a kind of play

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