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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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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: pitcher · board · rush · leaves · season · snap · rash · deal

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rash — hasty
  3. board — a committee
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. snap — to click
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rash — a series
  19. rush — hurry
  20. season — of the year
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. season — in sport
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. leaves — of a tree

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