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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chair — a leader
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. race — a contest
  14. band — a ring
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. sharp — clever
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. tear — from crying
  21. race — the arms race
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. snap — to click
  24. lie — to recline

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