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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.

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: snap · wake · pop · hide · pitcher · land · pit · drill

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. snap — to click
  4. pop — soda
  5. drill — a practice
  6. land — to come down
  7. pit — a hole
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pop — to visit
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — in a race

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