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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · nail · bass · spell · stand · kick · clip · mug

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bat — the animal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spell — magic
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bass — low music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spell — letters
  18. clip — a video
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mug — a face

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