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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ball — a great time
  8. track — to keep track
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitch — completely
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. present — a gift
  17. track — a path
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. clip — for paper
  21. present — there
  22. track — a song
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. present — the time now

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