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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: plane · cue · game · content · snap · file · bass · mine

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cue — a hint
  4. content — happy
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. file — a tool
  8. cue — for pool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cue — a signal
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. snap — to click
  19. content — the amount
  20. file — a line of people
  21. game — a match
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bass — low music
  24. file — a document

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