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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.

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: mate · arm · wake · pit · field · ground · bark · sharp

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bark — to shout
  3. field — farmland
  4. pit — in a race
  5. field — a subject
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — for sport
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wake — a trail
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. sharp — clever
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ground — a position
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. arm — part of the body

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