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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 · lie · date · snap · rash · toast · cue · cap

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — completely
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rash — a series
  15. snap — to click
  16. toast — bread
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. date — on the calendar

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