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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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Word bank
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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  2. clip — to cut
  3. key — in music
  4. content — happy
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. swing — in golf
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pass — a permit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. swing — to play on
  21. key — the most important part
  22. swing — music
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — videos and posts

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