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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cue — a hint
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lie — to recline
  7. clip — to cut
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. season — of the year
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kick — in football
  19. season — in sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. band — a music group
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. kick — a thrill

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