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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: bowl · kick · ruler · season · clip · wind · hide · pitch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pitch — completely
  4. season — of the year
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kick — in football
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. clip — for paper

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