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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · season · rule · hide · pitcher · snap · bear · wound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — the animal
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rule — government
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. season — in sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — a law
  22. season — of the year
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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