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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 116 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — humankind
  9. tear — to rip
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. race — a contest
  16. sharp — clever
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — help
  19. bank — for money
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. sharp — exactly

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