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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · roll · toast · object · ball · spring · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. object — to protest
  3. toast — bread
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spring — a coil
  6. file — a document
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. roll — a list
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a line of people
  14. roll — a cake
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. mate — a friend
  19. object — a thing
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. object — an aim
  24. ball — a dance

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