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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · sharp · court · rock · bark · rash · firm · nail

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. firm — a company
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rock — a stone
  9. court — of a king
  10. firm — steady
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. race — humankind
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — for sport
  17. rock — music
  18. court — of law
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. race — a contest
  22. rash — a series
  23. firm — decided
  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