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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 124 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ball — a great time
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. clip — a video
  9. club — for dancing
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — a song
  14. clip — to cut
  15. season — of the year
  16. clip — for paper
  17. club — a group
  18. ball — a dance
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. track — a path
  21. season — in sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. club — for golf

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