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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cap — of ice
  11. ball — a great time
  12. clip — a video
  13. press — to push
  14. charge — in control
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cap — a lid
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stand — on your feet

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