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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: pitch · straw · ball · squash · pass · date · snap · stick

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. squash — the sport
  3. snap — to click
  4. ball — a dance
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ball — a great time
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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