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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: club · stick · key · safe · snap · chest · dip · wave

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. club — for golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. key — in music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. club — for dancing
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. snap — to click
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chest — a box
  23. club — a group
  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