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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
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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: face · fine · mine · mate · chair · kick · content · clip

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. face — to confront
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mate — a friend
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — the amount
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — in football
  24. chair — a leader

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