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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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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: pitch · suit · mark · ball · snap · land · shower · straw

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mark — a grade
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ball — a great time
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. land — ground
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. shower — rain
  23. suit — in cards
  24. shower — to wash

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