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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: last · bound · bear · wake · snap · mug · sharp · race

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wake — a trail
  4. last — final
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. sharp — clever
  9. race — humankind
  10. mug — a face
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bear — the animal
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. last — finally
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. snap — to click
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mug — a cup
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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