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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. land — to come down
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — in sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. land — a country
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pass — a permit
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pass — to spend time

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