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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — the animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. staff — a stick
  10. firm — steady
  11. staff — employees
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — for catching
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. firm — a company
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. firm — decided
  24. can — a tin

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