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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. board — to get on
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stem — to come from
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. clip — a video
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — a committee
  10. content — happy
  11. clip — to cut
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. ball — a dance
  18. track — a path
  19. ball — a great time
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. track — a song

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