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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: bay · mark · pitcher · sharp · last · wound · fork · game

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. last — finally
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a match
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a trace
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — final

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