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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — a video
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — the amount
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bass — the fish
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bass — low music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. content — happy
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. jam — a tight spot

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