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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: cell · snap · stand · cold · mark · saw · rest · pitch

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rest — a break
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cell — a phone

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