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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: wake · pitcher · race · snap · lie · clip · foot · chair

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — a trail
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. race — a contest
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — humankind
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chair — a leader

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