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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: kick · hand · bay · land · clip · charge · ruler · stock

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. charge — a price
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. kick — in football
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. land — a country
  11. hand — help
  12. land — ground
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stock — goods
  15. clip — a video
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. land — to come down
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. stock — shares
  24. ruler — for measuring

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