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

Word bank: pitch · current · snap · rest · racket · race

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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. current — of water
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — electric
  7. rest — a break
  8. current — happening now
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. race — the arms race
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. race — humankind
  13. rest — what's left
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. race — a contest
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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