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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 124 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. clip — a video
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chip — for betting
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. content — happy
  19. object — to protest
  20. rush — hurry
  21. object — an aim
  22. content — the amount
  23. object — a thing
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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