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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · clip · wake · wave · jam · rule · face · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. toast — bread
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wake — a trail
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. clip — a video
  12. rule — a law
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rule — government
  15. face — to confront
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pitch — completely
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pitch — a sports field

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