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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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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: mate · bowl · wind · rush · snap · pitch · net · bound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mate — a friend
  12. net — after costs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bound — certain
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. net — for catching
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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