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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: spring · toast · wake · cue · fall · pitch

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. spring — of water
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cue — a hint
  8. toast — bread
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wake — a trail
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fall — the season
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fall — to drop

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