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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. clip — a video
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. content — happy
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. tube — the underground
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tube — a container
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rock — a stone
  16. hand — help
  17. content — the amount
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lean — thin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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