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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: cue · court · safe · snap · present · chair · hand · branch

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. snap — to click
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. branch — a division
  5. court — of a king
  6. present — the time now
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — of law
  11. present — a gift
  12. cue — for pool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. court — for sport
  16. cue — a signal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cue — a hint
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hand — help
  24. present — there

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