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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: season · clip · snap · cabinet · bound · dip · mug · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mug — a face
  5. bound — tied together
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mug — to rob
  10. season — of the year
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — certain
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. clip — a video
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mug — a cup
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. cap — a lid
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bound — obliged

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