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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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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 · pop · cue · pitch · temple · ground · hide · bat

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — the animal
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pop — music
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cue — a signal
  20. ground — a position
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cue — a hint
  23. temple — side of the head
  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