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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. club — for golf
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — money
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — to cut
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — hasty
  14. capital — a city
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kick — in football
  18. clip — for paper
  19. club — a group
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. clip — a video
  23. pass — a permit
  24. object — an aim

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