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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. clip — a video
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. content — the amount
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. content — happy
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cap — a hat
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cap — a lid

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