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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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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: temple · net · clip · bear · pass · snap · kick · rush

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. clip — a video
  5. net — in sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pass — a permit
  12. kick — in football
  13. net — after costs
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. snap — to click
  16. net — for catching
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bear — the animal
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bear — the animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rush — to hurry

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