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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: date · kick · track · clip · pop · charge · wind · arm

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. wind — moving air
  7. charge — in control
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. track — a path
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. track — to keep track
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. date — the fruit
  18. charge — a price
  19. clip — a video
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — music

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