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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 · fine · fall · object · racket · content · ball · stem

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. fine — all right
  2. clip — a video
  3. fall — to drop
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stem — to come from
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fall — to drop
  11. object — a thing
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fall — the season
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fine — high quality
  18. object — to protest
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. clip — to cut
  24. object — an aim

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