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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: rule · dip · kick · rock · clip · wound · mate · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. clip — a video
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rule — a law
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. rule — government
  11. content — happy
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rock — a stone
  18. kick — in football
  19. mate — a partner
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a friend
  24. dip — to dunk

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