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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. clip — a video
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. clip — for paper
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rest — a break
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. dip — to sink
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — a match
  22. pit — a hole
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. leaves — to go away

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