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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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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: season · roll · content · object · clip · pop · hand · ball

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. object — a thing
  3. roll — a cake
  4. clip — a video
  5. season — in sport
  6. object — to protest
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pop — to visit
  9. hand — help
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. season — of the year
  13. content — the amount
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. ball — a dance
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. content — happy
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. object — an aim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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