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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: season · cabinet · clip · hand · kick · fine · fall · plane

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fine — all right
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. plane — a tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fall — the season
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fall — to drop
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. clip — to cut

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