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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 116 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
468
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: rash · snap · pitch · ball · cell · can · game · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. board — to get on
  4. cell — in biology
  5. snap — to click
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ball — a great time
  17. can — to be able to
  18. game — a match
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. can — a tin
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cell — a phone
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ball — a round shape

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