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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: kick · capital · arm · clip · cue · face · fork · toast

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. face — to point toward
  5. kick — in football
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cue — a signal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. capital — a city
  11. face — to confront
  12. clip — for paper
  13. face — part of the head
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cue — a hint
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. toast — bread
  20. clip — to cut
  21. capital — money
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fork — in a road

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