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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 · snap · bowl · chest · squash · racket · leaves · prune

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitch — completely
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. snap — to click
  20. squash — to crush
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. prune — the fruit

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