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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: pitcher · mate · lie · stand · safe · chair · roll · snap

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. roll — a list
  3. stand — to bear
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mate — to breed
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. snap — to click
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pitcher — a jug

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