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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rest — a break
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — completely
  7. content — happy
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — the amount
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — in music
  24. jam — in traffic

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