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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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. swing — music
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. object — an aim
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitch — completely
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — the season
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. object — a thing
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. swing — in golf
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fall — to drop

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