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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.

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: mark · mug · deal · mine · clip · pop · file · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pop — soda
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mine — for digging
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mark — a trace
  9. file — a tool
  10. pop — music
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mug — a face
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. clip — for paper
  21. kick — in football
  22. file — a document
  23. clip — a video
  24. mug — a cup

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