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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: snap · rule · wake · key · leaves · bass · fall · game

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. key — the most important part
  5. snap — to click
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — government
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bass — low music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rule — a law
  16. wake — a trail
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a match
  19. fall — the season
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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