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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 116 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. court — of law
  5. cue — for pool
  6. court — of a king
  7. lie — to recline
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cue — a hint
  11. clip — a video
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — high quality
  17. kick — in football
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. court — for sport
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fine — all right

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