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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — to go on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. last — final
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wind — moving air
  22. clip — to cut
  23. last — finally
  24. calf — a young animal

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