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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kick — in football
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — a video
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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