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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: clip · can · pit · race · cabinet · rash · kick · cap

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pit — a hole
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. clip — to cut
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — humankind
  9. clip — a video
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — a series
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kick — in football
  15. pit — in a race
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cap — a lid
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — hasty

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