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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.

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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 · kid · patient · suit · straw · kick · saw · temple

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. clip — to cut
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. suit — to fit
  8. clip — for paper
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — to tease
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. kid — child
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. clip — a video
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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