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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. ground — a position
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cold — not warm
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. firm — decided
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. firm — a company
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. ground — the earth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pass — a permit
  20. branch — a division
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cold — an illness
  23. vault — a safe
  24. firm — steady

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