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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. tube — a container
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kick — in football
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. tube — the underground
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — for digging
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mine — an explosive

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