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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 120 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. band — a ring
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. snap — to click
  13. spell — magic
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fork — in a road
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — letters
  22. cue — a hint
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. band — a rubber band

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