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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.

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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: mate · content · kick · stand · cabinet · cell · clip · fork

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — a phone
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — a friend
  11. content — the amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. clip — a video
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mate — a partner

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