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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cue — a hint
  4. land — to come down
  5. drill — the tool
  6. kick — in football
  7. clip — for paper
  8. land — ground
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. drill — army training
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — a country
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. drill — a practice

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