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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · mate · toast · cell · lie · chair

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. 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. mate — to breed
  2. cell — a phone
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — a friend
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. 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