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

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. snap — to click
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — help
  8. pitch — completely
  9. club — for golf
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cold — an illness
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pop — soda
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. club — a group
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pop — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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