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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. field — farmland
  6. suit — to fit
  7. kick — in football
  8. field — a subject
  9. mate — to breed
  10. clip — a video
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cap — a hat
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. field — for sport
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mate — a friend
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mate — a partner
  24. march — the month

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