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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. degree — from a university
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. race — a contest
  6. toast — bread
  7. deal — to handle
  8. race — humankind
  9. degree — temperature
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. degree — an amount
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bass — the fish
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pitch — completely
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bore — to drill
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bass — low music

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