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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. snap — to click
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. swing — music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cue — a signal
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitch — completely
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. swing — in golf
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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