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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lean — to bend
  6. drill — army training
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. drill — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. drill — a practice
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lean — thin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cold — an illness

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