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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: suit · wake · scale · track · last · wind · pitch · field

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pitch — completely
  4. field — a subject
  5. suit — in cards
  6. track — a path
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wake — a trail
  11. track — a song
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — final
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — to keep track
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. last — to go on
  23. scale — in music
  24. last — finally

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