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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: rush · pitch · toast · key · land · mark · band · saw

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. toast — bread
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. land — a country
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mark — a grade
  19. band — a music group
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. pitch — completely
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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