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

Word bank: cell · bay · tear · rash · rule · sharp · mouse · stand

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rash — hasty
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rule — government
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — a law
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rash — a series

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