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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: snap · ground · rash · swing · pitch · leaves · stock · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — crushed
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ground — the earth
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. swing — music
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. swing — in golf
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ground — a position

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