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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. dip — to sink
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stand — to bear
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. kick — in football
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. snap — to click
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. clip — a video
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — for paper
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — to cut

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