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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mate — a partner
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. board — to get on
  7. spell — a short time
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. squash — the sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. spell — letters
  16. wake — a trail
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. squash — to crush
  19. board — a committee
  20. mate — a friend
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — magic

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