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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: stand · clip · snap · kick · chair · rock · field · leaves

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. clip — a video
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. snap — to click
  13. rock — a stone
  14. field — farmland
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rock — music
  18. stand — to bear
  19. field — for sport
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. chair — a leader
  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