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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. degree — an amount
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. degree — from a university
  6. clip — for paper
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. degree — temperature
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitch — completely
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — a video
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bank — of a river
  19. scale — size or range
  20. tear — to rip
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pound — a weight
  24. scale — in music

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