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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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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: kid · net · mine · ruler · kick · safe · bulb · clip

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — a video
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. clip — to cut
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. kid — child
  19. mine — for digging
  20. net — in sport
  21. kick — in football
  22. bulb — for light
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ruler — for measuring

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