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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
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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: jam · clip · march · bowl · present · mug · pitcher · content

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. clip — for paper
  3. march — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — a cup
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. march — the month
  12. present — there
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. present — a gift
  16. content — happy
  17. mug — a face
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. clip — a video
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mug — to rob
  23. content — the amount
  24. bowl — a football 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