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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hand — help
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. chair — a leader
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lie — an untruth

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