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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. race — a contest
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. race — humankind
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fork — in a road
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. fork — a garden tool

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