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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stock — goods
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. clip — to cut
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bark — to shout
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. snap — to click
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. kick — in football
  18. clip — a video
  19. wind — moving air
  20. clip — for paper
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stock — shares
  24. tube — a container

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