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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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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: arm · hide · net · ruler · pitcher · hand · pitch · snap

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. net — after costs
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. snap — to click
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. net — for catching
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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