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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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Word bank
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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: clip · cue · bound · object · plane · lie · chair · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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. chair — a professorship
  3. cue — for pool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to click
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lie — to recline
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. object — a thing
  15. cue — a hint
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bound — certain
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cue — a signal
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. lie — an untruth

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