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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — help
  8. file — a document
  9. cue — for pool
  10. file — a tool
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. spring — the season
  14. wake — a trail
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cue — a hint
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — finally
  19. file — a line of people
  20. key — in music
  21. last — final
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spring — of water
  24. hand — in cards

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