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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. clip — a video
  3. content — happy
  4. club — a group
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — for dancing
  10. content — the amount
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. club — for golf
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bass — low music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. clip — for paper
  21. game — a match
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wax — in the ear

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