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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. staff — employees
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. chest — of your body
  11. staff — employees
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chest — a box
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pop — music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. staff — a stick
  24. clip — to cut

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