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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pitch — completely
  10. content — happy
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. content — the amount
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chair — a leader
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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