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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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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: wake · toast · wave · bay · land · cold · pop · pitch

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. land — a country
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. land — ground
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pop — music
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pop — soda
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pop — to visit
  18. toast — bread
  19. land — to come down
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cold — not warm
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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