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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: board · content · roll · suit · ground · clip · bass · present

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bass — low music
  4. ground — a position
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. clip — a video
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. clip — for paper
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. present — the time now
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. suit — clothes
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bass — the fish
  20. present — there
  21. board — to get on
  22. roll — a list
  23. present — a gift
  24. suit — in cards

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