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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. tube — the underground
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. key — in music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lie — to recline
  10. file — a line of people
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mug — a face
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. file — a document
  15. tube — a container
  16. mug — a cup
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. file — a tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. key — for a lock
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. sharp — exactly

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