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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 · cold · chair · snap · cap · arm · craft · rash

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. craft — boats
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rash — a series
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cap — a lid
  24. snap — to click

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