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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. squash — to crush
  11. drill — army training
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. kick — in football
  18. wake — a trail
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. capital — money
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. capital — a city

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