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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · charge · present · arm · clip · kick · sharp · squash

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. charge — in control
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ground — a position
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. clip — a video
  7. squash — the sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. charge — a price
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. squash — to crush
  13. sharp — clever
  14. charge — electricity
  15. present — a gift
  16. kick — in football
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ground — the earth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. present — there
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ground — crushed

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