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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 116 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: firm · snap · club · clip · cell · charge

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. club — a group
  3. snap — to click
  4. cell — in biology
  5. clip — for paper
  6. charge — a price
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — a video
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cell — a phone
  11. firm — a company
  12. charge — electricity
  13. firm — steady
  14. club — for golf
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. charge — in control
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. firm — decided

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