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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. clip — to cut
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. game — a match
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. suit — in cards
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. suit — clothes
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. plane — a tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kid — child
  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