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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ruler · saw · fall · game · cell · key · bass · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. key — the most important part
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bass — low music
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. key — in music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fall — the season
  18. game — a match
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — a phone
  23. key — for a lock
  24. saw — the tool

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