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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.

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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 · cold · club · lean · season · bowl · pitch · chest

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — in sport
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chest — a box
  12. snap — to click
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. club — for dancing
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. club — a group
  24. season — of the year

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