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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: snap · content · clip · key · cold · wake · safe · cue

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. content — the amount
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. key — for a lock
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. clip — a video
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cue — a signal
  15. snap — to click
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wake — a trail
  18. clip — for paper
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cue — a hint
  22. content — happy
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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