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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — to grow
  7. present — the time now
  8. file — a line of people
  9. staff — employees
  10. present — a gift
  11. staff — employees
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. staff — a stick
  15. file — a tool
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bound — tied together
  18. file — a document
  19. present — there
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitch — completely
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bound — obliged

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