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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. clip — to cut
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. suit — clothes
  5. object — an aim
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. clip — a video
  8. tube — the underground
  9. court — for sport
  10. clip — for paper
  11. object — to protest
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. suit — in cards
  14. kick — in football
  15. tube — a container
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. snap — to click
  20. object — a thing
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. suit — to fit
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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