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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cue — a hint
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bank — of a river
  9. clip — for paper
  10. court — of a king
  11. clip — a video
  12. court — of law
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — for sport
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. clip — to cut
  19. season — of the year
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. bank — for money

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