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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: bear · pitch · toast · staff · track · season · arm · snap

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. track — to keep track
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a path
  13. bear — the animal
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — a song
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — the animal
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. season — of the year
  24. toast — bread

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