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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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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: shower · ball · pop · branch · pit · clip · kick · rule

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rule — government
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. shower — rain
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. kick — in football
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. branch — a division
  14. pop — music
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rule — a law
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ball — a dance
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pop — to visit
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pop — soda

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