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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
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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: spell · hand · mug · bowl · clip · current · cap · content

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mug — a face
  4. current — electric
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spell — a short time
  7. clip — to cut
  8. content — the amount
  9. clip — a video
  10. hand — help
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cap — of ice
  13. current — of water
  14. content — happy
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. clip — for paper
  18. current — happening now
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spell — magic
  21. mug — a cup
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — letters

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