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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pitch — completely
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. face — to confront
  14. lean — thin
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rash — a series
  24. face — to point toward

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