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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
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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 · arm · cue · bark · mine · ball · ground · present

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. present — the time now
  3. ground — a position
  4. present — a gift
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — for digging
  10. present — there
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ball — a great time
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ground — the earth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — crushed
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cue — for pool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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