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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: sharp · last · wave · pitcher · fork · game · leaves · bark

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — to go on
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fork — in a road
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. game — a match

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