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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 · kid · wake · pitch · sharp · jam · staff · march

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. kid — to tease
  3. staff — employees
  4. march — music
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. staff — a stick
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wake — a trail
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pitch — completely
  17. kid — child
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. toast — bread
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. jam — to spread on 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