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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: chair · snap · can · chest · game · wave · cue · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cue — a signal
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. game — a match
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chest — a box
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cue — a hint
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chest — of your body

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