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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · mine · squash · chair · snap · board · cue · fall

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cue — a signal
  7. snap — to click
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chair — a leader
  13. board — to get on
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fall — the season
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. craft — boats
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — a committee
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. craft — a handicraft

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