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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: game · drill · pitcher · cabinet · present · pit · snap · fall

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. drill — army training
  5. game — a match
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. present — there
  10. fall — the season
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. present — a gift
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pit — in a race
  24. fall — to drop

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