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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: content · roll · plane · game · rock · can · hide · clip

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — a match
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. clip — a video
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — happy
  9. can — a tin
  10. content — the amount
  11. game — wild animals
  12. roll — a cake
  13. can — a tin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — for paper
  17. plane — a tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. roll — a list
  24. can — to be able to

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