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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 120 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: kid · firm · game · snap · cue · track · fan · bass

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. firm — steady
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kid — child
  6. bass — low music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. track — a song
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — a path
  18. cue — a signal
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cue — a hint
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bass — the fish
  23. game — a match
  24. track — to keep track

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