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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. scale — size or range
  3. clip — a video
  4. scale — in music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bound — obliged
  10. content — happy
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bound — certain
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bound — tied together
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bore — to drill

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