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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spell — magic
  3. face — to point toward
  4. snap — to click
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — a hint
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. last — finally
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — to go on
  15. cue — for pool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. spell — letters
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to confront
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. last — final
  24. face — part of the head

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