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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: straw · bass · mate · lie · kick · foot · club · clip

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. clip — a video
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. club — for golf
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — in football
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. club — a group
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — a measure
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. clip — to cut
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mate — a partner

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