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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lean — to bend
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lean — thin
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. clip — to cut
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. press — a publisher
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. press — to push
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. press — newspapers

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