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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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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: cue · capital · rest · mate · saw · fall · snap · bass

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fall — the season
  3. rest — what's left
  4. capital — money
  5. rest — what's left
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rest — a break
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cue — for pool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. snap — to click
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — to breed
  20. capital — a city
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mate — a partner

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