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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 120 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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pass — a permit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kick — in football
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — a video
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. clip — to cut
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. rash — a series
  20. pound — a weight
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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