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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: deal · swing · sharp · cold · bark · mouse · ruler · stick

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. deal — to handle
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cold — not warm
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. swing — music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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