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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bark — to shout
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hand — help
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bound — certain
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cell — in biology
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. race — a contest
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. race — humankind
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — a phone
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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