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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 120 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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bank — for money
  5. clip — to cut
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mug — a face
  12. content — happy
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — a video
  15. fine — all right
  16. bank — for money
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — the amount

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