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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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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: patient · file · present · kick · clip · mouse · content · firm

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. content — the amount
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. present — a gift
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. content — happy
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. firm — steady
  13. kick — in football
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. firm — decided
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a tool
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. file — a document
  23. clip — for paper
  24. firm — a company

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