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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: march · track · toast · pitch · vault · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. track — a path
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. club — for dancing
  5. march — the month
  6. track — to keep track
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. vault — a safe
  10. club — for golf
  11. track — a song
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitch — completely
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. march — music

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