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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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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: wave · jam · racket · content · clip · kick · key · bass

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. clip — a video
  3. kick — in football
  4. key — in music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. clip — to cut
  9. content — happy
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. clip — for paper
  16. key — for a lock
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bass — low music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bass — the instrument

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