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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 · pit · capital · rush · pitcher · stem · march · track

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — to keep track
  8. march — the month
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. track — a path
  12. pit — in a race
  13. capital — a city
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. march — music
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. capital — money
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. toast — bread
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. track — a song

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