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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. last — to go on
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. last — final
  8. race — humankind
  9. chip — to eat
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. race — a contest
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mug — a face
  17. tube — a container
  18. last — finally
  19. cue — for pool
  20. race — the arms race
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cue — a hint
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mug — to rob

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