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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: trunk · march · rock · toast · stand · capital · key · pitch

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stand — to bear
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rock — music
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. capital — money
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. key — in music
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. toast — bread
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. march — the month
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. key — the most important part
  22. capital — a city
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. trunk — of a car

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