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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. 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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. cue — for pool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cue — a hint
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. season — in sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. season — of the year
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rash — on the skin

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