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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: degree · mate · pitch · toast · chip · cell · stem · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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. fall — the season
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mate — a friend
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chip — for betting
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stem — to come from
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitch — completely
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. toast — bread
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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