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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.

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: clip · arm · content · safe · degree · club · can · ball

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. club — a group
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. clip — for paper
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — a video
  9. can — to be able to
  10. degree — from a university
  11. content — happy
  12. degree — temperature
  13. can — a tin
  14. club — for golf
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — an amount
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. content — the amount
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. clip — to cut
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ball — a great time

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