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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 · pit · bowl · cell · object · clip · stick · staff

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. clip — to cut
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cell — a phone
  10. content — the amount
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. content — happy
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — a video
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pit — in a race
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pit — a hole
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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