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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 120 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: chair · clip · craft · tube · march · fan · cap · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. cap — a lid
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. craft — a skill
  11. march — music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cap — of ice
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — a container
  18. chair — a leader
  19. content — happy
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — the underground

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