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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: season · pitch · hand · staff · roll · rest · snap · lash

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rest — what's left
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. roll — a list
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. hand — help
  16. rest — a break
  17. roll — a cake
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. snap — to click
  23. staff — employees
  24. season — in sport

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