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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: snap · bay · hand · season · cell · arm · cap · pitch

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — help
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. season — in sport
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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