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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mark — a grade
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. race — the arms race
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stem — to come from
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. board — a committee
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. board — to get on
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. hand — help
  23. sharp — clever
  24. nail — for a hammer

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