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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 · march · wake · cell · pop · kick · object · track

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pop — to visit
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. track — a path
  8. cell — in biology
  9. object — an aim
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. object — a thing
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cell — a phone
  17. track — a song
  18. object — to protest
  19. march — music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. march — the month

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