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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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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: chest · snap · ball · pitch · fine · pitcher

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to click
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fine — all right
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pitch — completely
  17. chest — a box
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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