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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. suit — in cards
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. clip — for paper
  6. suit — clothes
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bank — for money
  10. kick — in football
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bass — low music
  14. suit — to fit
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. sharp — clever
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chest — a box
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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