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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. present — a gift
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. present — the time now
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pitch — completely
  15. degree — an amount
  16. toast — bread
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. present — there

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