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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · safe · sharp · field · board · kick · face · lash

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — a committee
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. board — to get on
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. face — to confront
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. face — part of the head
  14. clip — for paper
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kick — in football

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