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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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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: pitch · charge · season · squash · race · rest · snap · bear

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — a contest
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. season — of the year
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to click
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rest — a break
  14. season — in sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. charge — in control
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bear — the animal
  20. charge — a price
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pitch — completely
  24. race — humankind

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