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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: kick · pit · fan · net · clip · fall · suit · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. suit — clothes
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — in sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — in football
  13. net — after costs
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. clip — a video
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. suit — to fit
  19. fall — the season
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. clip — to cut
  22. net — for catching
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pit — in a race

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