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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mate — to breed
  5. kick — in football
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mate — a partner
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. can — a tin
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chip — for betting
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. clip — for paper
  19. can — a tin
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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