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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. club — a group
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. content — the amount
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. content — happy
  16. pass — a permit
  17. club — for golf
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cap — of ice
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pop — soda

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