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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wound — an injury
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — a video
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. content — the amount
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. content — happy
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. clip — to cut
  24. temple — a place of worship

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