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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.

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: safe · pitch · key · bass · hand · mouse · snap · ground

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. hand — in cards
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hand — help
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. key — in music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. ground — a position
  24. bass — the fish

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