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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rash — a series
  8. tear — to rip
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chest — a box
  16. roll — a cake
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chest — of your body
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. roll — a list
  24. tear — from crying

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