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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: fan · chest · pitch · season · bass · snap · fine · ball

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ball — a dance
  5. chest — of your body
  6. snap — to click
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — low music
  16. fine — all right
  17. season — of the year
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bass — the fish

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