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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: key · rush · kick · hand · fine · root · bay · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. fine — all right
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. key — in music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. root — the cause
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fine — high quality
  21. clip — to cut
  22. root — of a word
  23. kick — in football
  24. clip — for paper

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