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

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. board — to get on
  3. wake — a trail
  4. drill — a practice
  5. land — to come down
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cue — for pool
  8. last — to go on
  9. cue — a signal
  10. land — a country
  11. drill — the tool
  12. last — finally
  13. board — a committee
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. last — final
  16. land — ground
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. drill — army training
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cue — a hint

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