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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.

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: firm · pitcher · arm · degree · suit · mine · kick · clip

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. firm — steady
  5. clip — a video
  6. kick — in football
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. suit — clothes
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. clip — to cut
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mine — for digging
  14. degree — an amount
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. degree — from a university
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. suit — to fit
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — temperature

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