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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: fall · pitch · land · wake · file · suit · toast · march

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. file — a document
  4. toast — bread
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. march — music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. march — the month
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. suit — in cards
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — the season
  15. land — a country
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitch — completely
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. suit — clothes
  24. toast — the most admired

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