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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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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: pit · mug · content · key · fall · kick · deal · clip

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. key — in music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. key — for a lock
  11. content — happy
  12. mug — a face
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kick — in football
  16. key — the most important part
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fall — the season
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. deal — a big deal

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