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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: pitch · track · march · rest · pitcher · sharp · wave · pound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. track — a song
  4. march — music
  5. rest — a break
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. sharp — clever

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