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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: club · kick · suit · kid · dip · clip · season · can

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. clip — to cut
  3. season — of the year
  4. can — to be able to
  5. clip — a video
  6. club — for golf
  7. kid — to tease
  8. suit — in cards
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. club — a group
  12. kick — in football
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. kid — child
  15. dip — to sink
  16. clip — for paper
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. can — a tin
  22. season — in sport
  23. suit — to fit
  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