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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 116 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: content · bass · pound · club · suit · pit · mate · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bass — low music
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. content — happy
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mate — a friend
  8. content — the amount
  9. bass — the fish
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mate — to breed
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. clip — a video
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. club — for golf
  21. mate — a partner
  22. suit — clothes
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pound — for dogs

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