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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · mug · content · squash · arm · clip · calf · net

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. content — happy
  6. mug — to rob
  7. squash — the sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. clip — for paper
  10. net — after costs
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. net — in sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. content — the amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. squash — to crush

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