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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: pitch · mine · track · toast · vault · cold · last · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitch — completely
  3. last — finally
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. last — final
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. track — a song
  11. cold — not warm
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cold — an illness
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. toast — bread
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. track — a path
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. last — to go on

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