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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
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: game · bulb · content · nail · stock · jam · leaves · clip

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. clip — a video
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. clip — to cut
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stock — goods
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — shares
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bulb — for light
  22. game — wild animals
  23. clip — for paper
  24. game — a match

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