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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: clip · stick · net · can · content · cell · club · bound

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. club — a group
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. net — after costs
  5. bound — obliged
  6. net — in sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. content — the amount
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — for golf
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. can — to be able to
  17. net — for catching
  18. cell — a phone
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. can — a tin
  22. content — happy
  23. club — for dancing
  24. clip — a video

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