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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 · chest · leaves · last · wave · foot · squash · pitch

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. march — the month
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — final
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. last — finally
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pitch — completely
  15. last — to go on
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wave — with your hand

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