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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kick — in football
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. toast — bread
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stem — to come from
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — low music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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