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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · wax · cell · game · squash · date · bass · key

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bass — the fish
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. game — wild animals
  8. key — in music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. key — the most important part
  11. snap — to click
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. squash — the sport
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bass — low music
  24. squash — to crush

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