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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. clip — a video
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kick — in football
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wake — a trail
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. clip — for paper
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. suit — to fit
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rush — a thrill

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