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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: toast · mate · season · stem · fine · pitch · cell · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mate — a friend
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cell — a phone
  16. toast — bread
  17. mate — a partner
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stem — to come from
  23. season — of the year
  24. cell — in biology

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