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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. board — a committee
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. board — to get on
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. capital — a city
  12. ground — a position
  13. kick — in football
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — for digging
  18. clip — a video
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. capital — money
  21. ground — crushed
  22. clip — to cut
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bear — the animal

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