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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: bass · firm · clip · can · content · foot · snap · pitcher

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. clip — for paper
  3. content — happy
  4. bass — low music
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. can — to be able to
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. clip — a video
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. snap — to click
  15. content — the amount
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. can — a tin
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. foot — a measure
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. can — a tin

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