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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. scale — in music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. clip — for paper
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. content — happy
  21. season — in sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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