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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stand — to bear
  10. key — in music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lean — thin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. lean — to bend

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