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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 120 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: bank · race · ruler · kick · cue · wound · last · wake

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. last — final
  4. bank — for money
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. race — a contest
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cue — for pool
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. wound — an injury
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bank — for money
  20. kick — in football
  21. cue — a hint
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ruler — for measuring

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