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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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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 · bowl · clip · snap · jam · rock · face · bay

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. clip — to cut
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. clip — a video
  8. content — happy
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rock — music
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. face — to confront
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. face — part of the head
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. rock — a stone
  21. content — the amount
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. snap — to click
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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