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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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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: wave · kid · pitch · wake · last · toast · chest · mouse

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. kid — child
  15. chest — a box
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. last — finally
  24. pitch — completely

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