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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. race — humankind
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. deal — a big deal
  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