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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bound — certain
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. toast — bread
  7. cue — a hint
  8. row — a line
  9. squash — to crush
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cue — for pool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. row — to paddle
  15. deal — to handle
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — a thing
  19. bound — obliged
  20. hand — in cards
  21. squash — the sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bound — tied together

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