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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fall · hide · charge · ruler · hand · march · pitcher

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to click
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — music
  7. charge — in control
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. charge — a price
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — the season
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — to drop
  22. charge — electricity
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hand — help

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