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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — in sport
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. season — of the year
  11. rock — a stone
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rock — music
  14. snap — to click
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. racket — for tennis

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