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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pitch — completely
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — an amount
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mate — a partner
  19. degree — temperature
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. staff — employees
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mate — to breed
  24. date — the fruit

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