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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cell — in biology
  8. clip — a video
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. can — to be able to
  11. content — happy
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fine — high quality
  15. can — a tin
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. content — the amount
  23. sharp — clever
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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