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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 120 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: fine · ground · pitch · snap · drill · kid · chest · mug

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mug — a face
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. kid — child
  17. snap — to click
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ground — crushed
  22. drill — army training
  23. kid — to tease
  24. drill — a practice

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