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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: swing · rest · saw · safe · wake · court · pitch · snap

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

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

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