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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: branch · race · suit · snap · leaves · court · wake · chip

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. court — of law
  7. race — a contest
  8. suit — clothes
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. court — for sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — to eat
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. snap — to click
  19. race — humankind
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wake — a trail
  22. branch — a division
  23. race — the arms race
  24. branch — of a tree

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