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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 116 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.

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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: rest · snap · key · court · saw · land · game · bass

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rest — a break
  3. key — in music
  4. snap — to click
  5. court — of a king
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — low music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. saw — the tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. key — the most important part
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. court — of law
  20. game — wild animals
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. bass — the fish
  24. land — to come down

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