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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 116 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: kick · bear · court · squash · lie · cell · clip · pit

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. court — of a king
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — in biology
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cell — a phone
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. kick — in football
  14. court — of law
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. court — for sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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