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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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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: pitcher · stand · kick · content · fork · mouse · snap · clip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. kick — in football
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. snap — to click
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. content — the amount
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. content — happy
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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