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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: cue · field · clip · perch · object · game · can · kick

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — a thing
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kick — in football
  8. cue — for pool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cue — a hint
  11. can — to be able to
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. field — for sport
  16. clip — for paper
  17. object — an aim
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — a signal
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. field — farmland
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. can — a tin

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