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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.

Make a worksheet

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: present · board · clip · mouse · arm · kick · mine · bowl

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. clip — a video
  3. kick — in football
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. present — the time now
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mine — for digging
  16. present — there
  17. board — to get on
  18. present — a gift
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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