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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lie — to recline
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chest — of your body
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chest — a box
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mark — a grade
  24. sharp — exactly

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