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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rule — government
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — to eat
  10. tear — from crying
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rule — a law
  14. band — a ring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. branch — a division
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bass — low music
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — clever

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