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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. face — to point toward
  3. kick — in football
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stock — shares
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — electricity
  9. band — a ring
  10. pop — music
  11. face — to confront
  12. clip — a video
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stock — goods
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — soda
  21. clip — for paper
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. band — a music group

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