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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: toast · bay · pitch · branch · track · club · fine · capital

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. club — for golf
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fine — high quality
  13. club — a group
  14. capital — a city
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitch — completely
  17. track — a song
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. branch — a division
  20. capital — money
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. fine — all right
  23. toast — bread
  24. track — a path

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