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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 · pitch · pound · mug · present · season · chest · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chest — of your body
  15. present — there
  16. mug — to rob
  17. chest — a box
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. snap — to click
  21. season — of the year
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pound — a weight
  24. season — in sport

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