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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pop — soda
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pop — to visit
  9. kick — in football
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mate — to breed
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. clip — to cut
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. stock — shares
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. hide — to keep secret

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