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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 120 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: present · clip · rash · degree · pitcher · kick · bay · cabinet

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. present — a gift
  3. degree — an amount
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. present — there
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. clip — for paper
  17. present — the time now
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — to cut
  21. kick — in football
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kick — a thrill

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