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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. clip — a video
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. content — the amount
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. content — happy
  9. ball — a dance
  10. clip — to cut
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. can — to be able to
  16. last — to go on
  17. can — a tin
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spell — a short time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ball — a great time
  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