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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — a tin
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — to be able to
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tear — to rip
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ground — the earth
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — a position

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