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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: deal · snap · ball · wake · cell · wave · chair · lie

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. cell — a phone
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wake — a trail
  4. snap — to click
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lie — to recline
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wave — with your hand
  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