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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitch — completely
  6. clip — a video
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. suit — clothes
  9. craft — boats
  10. kick — in football
  11. band — a music group
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. craft — a skill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. suit — in cards
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bark — of a tree

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