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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: spell · pitch · wake · march · mate · wound · bound · rest

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. spell — magic
  2. march — music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — letters
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — certain
  12. spell — a short time
  13. march — the month
  14. rest — a break
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. march — the month
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rest — what's left
  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