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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. last — final
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. squash — to crush
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. snap — to click
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. shower — to wash
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kick — in football
  16. shower — rain
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wake — a trail
  19. squash — the sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. last — finally

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