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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. race — the arms race
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. drill — the tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chair — a leader
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. sharp — clever
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. branch — a division
  14. drill — army training
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. drill — a practice
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. snap — to click

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