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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: race · pitch · kick · temple · can · toast · perch · pitcher

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. kick — in football
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitch — completely
  6. race — a contest
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. race — humankind
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. perch — the fish
  14. race — the arms race
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. toast — the most admired

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