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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: board · fork · sharp · pit · bat · staff · arm · wound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — in a race
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pit — a hole
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. board — to get on
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bat — the animal
  19. board — a committee
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wound — an injury
  24. arm — a part of something

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