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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kick — in football
  6. capital — a city
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cue — a hint
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cue — for pool
  11. clip — to cut
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — to visit
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pop — soda
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pop — music
  18. capital — money
  19. craft — a skill
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cue — a signal
  24. craft — boats

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