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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. suit — in cards
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. game — a match
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitch — completely
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. game — wild animals
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. suit — clothes
  21. clip — for paper
  22. suit — to fit
  23. rash — a series
  24. kick — in football

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