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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: clip · ruler · pit · craft · kick · cabinet · land · temple

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — a country
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. craft — boats
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. kick — in football
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. land — to come down
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. clip — for paper
  24. land — ground

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