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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. current — happening now
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — a series
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. race — humankind
  12. current — of water
  13. chair — a leader
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. race — a contest
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cold — not warm
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cold — an illness

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