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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.

Make a worksheet

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: present · clip · season · object · straw · content · pop · mate

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mate — to breed
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. present — there
  5. content — happy
  6. pop — soda
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pop — music
  11. object — a thing
  12. clip — a video
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. present — the time now
  16. season — in sport
  17. present — a gift
  18. mate — a partner
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. object — an aim
  21. content — the amount
  22. season — of the year
  23. object — to protest
  24. pop — to visit

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