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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 120 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: drill · snap · dip · scale · pop · pass · season · game

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. drill — army training
  6. game — wild animals
  7. scale — size or range
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. scale — in music
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pop — to visit
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. drill — the tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. game — a match
  23. season — in sport
  24. drill — a practice

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