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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mate — a partner
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — a leader
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mate — to breed
  21. toast — bread
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — to sit on

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