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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: game · saw · chair · roll · snap · mine · key · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. key — for a lock
  3. game — a match
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chair — a leader
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. key — in music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mine — for digging
  22. snap — to click
  23. roll — a list
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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