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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. branch — a division
  3. clip — to cut
  4. kick — in football
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. suit — clothes
  13. saw — the tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. saw — the tool
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. suit — to fit

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