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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. content — the amount
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — in biology
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. squash — to crush
  16. content — happy
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. squash — the sport
  22. clip — a video
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. safe — out of danger

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