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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: snap · pitcher · spell · bore · chip · cold · firm · pitch

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. firm — decided
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. spell — letters
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cold — not warm
  15. spell — magic
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chip — for betting
  21. snap — to click
  22. firm — a company
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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