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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: stick · key · kick · hide · clip · field · can · saw

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. key — in music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kick — in football
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. can — to be able to
  18. key — for a lock
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. field — a subject
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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