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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: snap · content · stand · rest · dip · game · pitch · spell

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spell — a short time
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — a break
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. content — the amount
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. content — happy
  15. game — a match
  16. snap — to click
  17. pitch — completely
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stand — to bear
  24. game — wild animals

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