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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. charge — in control
  3. scale — in music
  4. charge — electricity
  5. clip — to cut
  6. spring — of water
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. scale — size or range
  9. suit — clothes
  10. charge — a price
  11. bark — to shout
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spring — a coil
  14. clip — a video
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. clip — for paper
  20. suit — to fit
  21. spring — the season
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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