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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: pitcher · row · last · club · wave · firm · can · snap

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. last — to go on
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. can — a tin
  10. firm — a company
  11. club — a group
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. snap — to click
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. can — to be able to
  17. row — a line
  18. firm — decided
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. last — finally
  22. club — for golf
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — for dancing

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