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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.

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: clip · season · kick · mine · safe · tube · swing · rock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rock — a stone
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. swing — to play on
  9. tube — a container
  10. clip — a video
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kick — in football
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tube — the underground
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rock — music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. swing — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. season — of the year
  24. clip — for paper

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