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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 116 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 · nail · wound · cue · chair · safe · snap · prune

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a hint
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. swing — music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. snap — to click
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cue — for pool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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