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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. clip — a video
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kick — in football
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. swing — in golf
  9. season — of the year
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. clip — to cut
  16. swing — music
  17. season — in sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. swing — to play on
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. clip — for paper
  24. season — to add flavour

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