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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 116 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: suit · pound · chair · kid · net · bay · pitch · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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. pound — to hit hard
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pound — a weight
  5. net — after costs
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. suit — clothes
  12. chair — a leader
  13. net — in sport
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kid — child
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. kid — to tease
  18. suit — in cards
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. snap — to click
  22. net — for catching
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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