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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: swing · bore · season · cabinet · snap · pitch · squash · pass

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — music
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pitch — completely
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. swing — in golf
  24. snap — to click

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