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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. club — a group
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. last — final
  7. clip — a video
  8. can — to be able to
  9. club — for golf
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. clip — for paper
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. last — to go on

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