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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. land — a country
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. clip — a video
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mark — a grade
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — to cut
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — ground
  22. kick — in football
  23. land — to come down
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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