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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.

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: ball · spring · clip · wound · mark · capital · pass · kick

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. clip — a video
  3. ball — a dance
  4. capital — money
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. kick — in football
  11. mark — a trace
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pass — a permit
  22. clip — to cut
  23. capital — a city
  24. spring — of water

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