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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. hand — in cards
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — help
  12. march — music
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pass — a permit
  17. march — the month
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pitch — completely
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. march — the month

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