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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 · safe · fall · clip · mark · mate · chair · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fall — to drop
  4. snap — to click
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mark — a trace
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fall — the season
  14. mark — a grade
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. clip — for paper
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. clip — a video
  21. fall — to drop
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitch — a sports field

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