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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bulb — for light
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. net — after costs
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. key — in music
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. rash — a series
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — hasty
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitch — completely
  24. key — the most important part

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