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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: clip · snap · temple · kick · file · fine · bear · mine

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — for digging
  9. clip — for paper
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fine — all right
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fine — high quality
  16. clip — a video
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. file — a tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. snap — to click

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