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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: craft · spell · wind · date · stand · track · pitch · last

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. craft — boats
  5. wind — moving air
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. last — to go on
  16. craft — a skill
  17. date — the fruit
  18. track — a path
  19. spell — a short time
  20. last — final
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — finally
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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