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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. kick — in football
  6. clip — a video
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mug — a face
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mug — to rob
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kick — a thrill

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