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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 · clip · chip · bulb · court · roll · wave · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. clip — to cut
  3. roll — a cake
  4. clip — for paper
  5. content — happy
  6. roll — a list
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bulb — for light
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. court — for sport
  11. content — the amount
  12. season — of the year
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. season — in sport
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. clip — a video
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. court — of a king
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — of law
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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