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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: content · clip · jam · ruler · pitcher · capital · leaves · calf

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — a video
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. clip — for paper
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. ruler — for measuring

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