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

Word bank: pit · hide · kick · straw · rest · clip · cabinet · bulb

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. clip — a video
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pit — a hole
  16. kick — in football
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rest — a break
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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