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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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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. club — for dancing
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. club — for golf
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. degree — an amount
  15. club — a group
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cap — a hat

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