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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: kid · current · snap · pitch · foot · roll · ground · arm

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. roll — a cake
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. snap — to click
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — electric
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. current — of water
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pitch — completely
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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