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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: game · drill · press · rash · pitcher · snap · stick · wave

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. game — a match
  6. snap — to click
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. drill — a practice
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. press — to push
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. game — wild animals
  20. drill — army training
  21. rash — a series
  22. drill — the tool
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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