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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.

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: pitcher · season · file · bore · stand · snap · rash · pass

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. snap — to click
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. file — a tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — to bear
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pass — a permit
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rash — a series
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. file — a document
  21. season — in sport
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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