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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cue — a signal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spell — letters
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. spell — a short time
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — money
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spell — magic
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — to handle
  16. capital — a city
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bound — certain
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bound — obliged
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. nail — for a hammer

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