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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: bound · date · deal · content · clip · chip · wound · season

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. content — happy
  5. season — of the year
  6. clip — a video
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. chip — to eat
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. date — the fruit
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. content — the amount
  21. bound — obliged
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. clip — to cut

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