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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: chair · cell · wake · rock · nail · date · snap · safe

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — a stone
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rock — music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chair — a leader
  16. date — the fruit
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wake — a trail

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