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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: suit · chip · roll · pitch · last · wax · bound · track

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bound — certain
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. track — a song
  8. chip — to eat
  9. suit — clothes
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chip — for betting
  14. last — final
  15. suit — in cards
  16. last — finally
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bound — tied together
  24. track — a path

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