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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: pitch · fine · shower · toast · swing · staff · date · content

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. shower — rain
  5. staff — employees
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitch — completely
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. staff — a stick
  14. content — the amount
  15. swing — music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. staff — employees
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. content — happy
  22. fine — all right
  23. toast — bread
  24. date — on the calendar

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