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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. toast — bread
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. degree — an amount
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitch — completely
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stock — goods
  19. cold — not warm
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cold — an illness
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stock — shares
  24. object — to protest

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