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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: wake · stand · game · cold · craft · snap · safe · chip

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stand — to bear
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. craft — a skill
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chip — to eat
  19. game — a match
  20. craft — boats
  21. snap — to click
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stand — on your feet

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