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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cue — a hint
  4. craft — a skill
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. squash — to crush
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. cue — for pool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. race — a contest
  14. craft — boats
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. march — music
  18. band — a music group
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. snap — to click
  22. cue — a signal
  23. march — the month
  24. craft — a handicraft

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