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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — of law
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cap — a hat
  10. clip — a video
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. clip — to cut
  21. court — of a king
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cap — of ice
  24. content — happy

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