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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. staff — a stick
  7. present — a gift
  8. march — music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. present — the time now
  11. fall — the season
  12. present — there
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hand — help
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. hand — in cards
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. dip — to sink
  23. staff — employees
  24. wave — with your hand

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