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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bark — to shout
  3. file — a document
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. row — a line
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. sharp — clever
  9. file — a tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. charge — a price
  12. band — a music group
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a ring

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