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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 120 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: land · squash · clip · kick · game · temple · charge · bay

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kick — in football
  6. clip — a video
  7. land — ground
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. charge — electricity
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — the sport
  14. land — a country
  15. charge — in control
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. squash — to crush
  20. land — to come down
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. charge — a price

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