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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — completely
  3. last — finally
  4. season — in sport
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. season — of the year
  7. snap — to click
  8. stock — shares
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. pass — a permit
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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