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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — a position
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mug — a face
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kick — in football
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. clip — for paper
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mug — a cup
  23. clip — a video
  24. pitch — a sports field

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