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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 · hide · pitch · racket · wind · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. toast — bread
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. band — a rubber band

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