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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: snap · pitcher · saw · game · cue · chair · race · pit

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cue — a hint
  4. race — the arms race
  5. snap — to click
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — a signal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pit — in a race
  10. race — a contest
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cue — for pool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — humankind
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pit — a hole
  24. chair — a professorship

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