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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: stock · content · can · clip · chair · key · pound · cell

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. can — a tin
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. content — happy
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stock — shares
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stock — goods
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. key — in music
  14. clip — for paper
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pound — a weight
  18. key — for a lock
  19. can — a tin
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pound — to hit hard

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