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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. toast — bread
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. game — wild animals
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. game — a match
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wind — moving air
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. squash — the vegetable

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