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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. content — happy
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ground — crushed
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. content — the amount
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ground — a position
  21. clip — a video
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ground — the earth

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