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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: snap · rest · bear · pitch · sharp · hide

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rest — a break
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret

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