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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.

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: kick · net · capital · bass · hide · staff · clip · suit

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kick — in football
  4. suit — to fit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bass — low music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. capital — a city
  11. suit — clothes
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — money
  17. suit — in cards
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. staff — employees
  24. clip — a video

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