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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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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: chair · stick · shower · content · season · cap · clip · arm

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. chair — a leader
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. content — happy
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cap — a lid
  9. season — of the year
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cap — of ice
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. cap — a hat
  15. shower — to wash
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — the amount
  22. season — in sport
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — to sit on

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