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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: kick · stand · file · pass · clip · dip · field · chest

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. file — a tool
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. field — farmland
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. clip — to cut
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. file — a document
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. kick — in football
  12. clip — a video
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chest — a box
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. field — a subject
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — to sink
  21. clip — for paper
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. field — for sport

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