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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. court — of a king
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cue — for pool
  5. content — the amount
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cue — a hint
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. court — for sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. content — happy
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — a video
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. can — a tin
  23. court — of law
  24. tube — a container

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