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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hand — help
  5. clip — a video
  6. content — the amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. clip — to cut
  11. game — a match
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. season — in sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. clip — for paper
  23. season — of the year
  24. mine — for digging

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