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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. clip — a video
  5. bat — the animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — to recline
  13. clip — for paper
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kick — in football
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bark — to shout

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