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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · pitcher · fine · rush · hide · can · clip · kick

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kick — in football
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — letters
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rush — hurry
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — magic
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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