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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.

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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: wake · game · hand · fan · key · snap · content · press

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. key — the most important part
  3. press — a publisher
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. hand — help
  8. key — for a lock
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. game — a match
  12. press — newspapers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. snap — to click
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. press — to push
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. content — happy
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. key — in music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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