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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.

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: content · bear · clip · jam · nail · chest · foot · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bear — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. content — happy
  10. clip — for paper
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. content — the amount
  20. clip — a video
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chest — a box

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