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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: row · present · plane · spring · pitch · pound · last · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. last — to go on
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. last — finally
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pitch — completely
  9. plane — a tool
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. present — there
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. last — final
  19. row — a line
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. present — a gift
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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