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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: fan · hide · snap · game · key · band · ball · chest

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ball — a dance
  3. game — wild animals
  4. snap — to click
  5. key — the most important part
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. band — a ring
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a music group
  16. game — a match
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. key — in music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. key — for a lock
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ball — a great time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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