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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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468
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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cell — a phone
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. content — happy
  12. snap — to click
  13. rock — a stone
  14. clip — for paper
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cell — in biology
  17. clip — a video
  18. rock — music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. cap — a hat
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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