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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: tube · safe · swing · court · pitch · wound · snap · wake

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to click
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wake — a trail
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pitch — completely
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. court — of a king

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