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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. wound — an injury
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cue — for pool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. hand — help
  19. cue — a signal
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. clip — to cut
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. clip — a video
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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