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

Word bank: pitch · fall · arm · bore · mate · toast · key · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mate — a friend
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bore — to tire
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. object — to protest
  16. fall — the season
  17. key — for a lock
  18. object — a thing
  19. fall — to drop
  20. key — the most important part
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. key — in music
  24. toast — bread

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