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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · saw · wave · toast · hide · pitch · march · ball

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ball — a great time
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — the month
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — to come down
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pitch — completely
  16. march — music
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. land — a country
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — ground

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