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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · arm · date · fork · bat · branch · sharp · roll

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bat — the animal
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. fork — in a road
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. sharp — clever
  13. roll — a list
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. date — the fruit
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. branch — a division
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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