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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bound — tied together
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. race — humankind
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bound — certain
  11. squash — to crush
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — a trail
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — letters
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. race — a contest

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