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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. file — a tool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rock — music
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bound — tied together
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bound — obliged
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bound — certain
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. file — a document
  24. pitch — completely

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