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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: saw · content · pound · jam · firm · last · clip · dip

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. saw — the tool
  4. firm — decided
  5. clip — for paper
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. firm — a company
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. clip — to cut
  12. content — happy
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — to sink
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. last — finally
  19. firm — steady
  20. clip — a video
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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