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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · season · snap · pit · suit · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. season — of the year
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. game — a match
  9. suit — clothes
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. snap — to click
  14. season — in sport
  15. suit — in cards
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pit — in a race

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