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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: key · snap · fan · mate · bulb · pitch · degree · toast

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bulb — for light
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pitch — completely
  10. degree — from a university
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bulb — for light
  17. toast — bread
  18. snap — to click
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. key — the most important part
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. key — in music

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