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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.

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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: firm · game · key · pass · scale · cell · wake · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. firm — decided
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cell — in biology
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cell — a phone
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. snap — to click
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. key — in music
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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