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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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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 · fan · chair · pitch · bear · mate · fall · rock

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fall — the season
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rock — music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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