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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: fine · cell · roll · foot · mate · kick · pitch · toast

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fine — high quality
  3. roll — a cake
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mate — to breed
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fine — all right
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mate — a partner
  21. roll — a list
  22. cell — in biology
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. kick — in football

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