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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. squash — the sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. land — ground
  8. net — for catching
  9. cue — a hint
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — to come down
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cue — for pool
  19. land — a country
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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