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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: nail · march · sharp · bark · ground · safe · cue · pitch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cue — a hint
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — a position
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cue — a signal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cue — for pool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pitch — a sports field

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