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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: foot · track · wave · pitch · pitcher · last · present · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — to go on
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. last — final
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. last — finally
  10. track — a song
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. present — there
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a path
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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