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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: board · file · bound · kick · clip · leaves · field · temple

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a tool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. field — farmland
  9. bound — tied together
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. bound — obliged
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. file — a line of people
  15. field — a subject
  16. board — to get on
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. board — a committee
  20. clip — for paper
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. field — for sport
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a flat piece

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