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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 · suit · pitcher · prune · sharp · track · object · spell

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spell — letters
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spell — a short time
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. track — to keep track
  12. toast — bread
  13. object — to protest
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — magic
  18. track — a path
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. suit — clothes
  22. object — a thing
  23. track — a song
  24. object — an aim

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