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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. present — there
  3. clip — a video
  4. rush — hurry
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. board — to get on
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. clip — for paper
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. present — a gift
  13. clip — to cut
  14. content — happy
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — the time now
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. board — a committee
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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