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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
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: march · pitcher · wind · hide · mug · can · snap · foot

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mug — a face
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. snap — to click
  5. mug — to rob
  6. foot — a measure
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. march — music
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — to be able to
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wind — to turn a key

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