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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chest — a box
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pitch — completely
  6. chest — of your body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. scale — in music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pit — in a race
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fall — the season

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