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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: clip · can · cap · bay · snap · fine · mug · saw

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mug — a cup
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mug — a face
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cap — a hat
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. can — a tin
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fine — high quality
  16. saw — the tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. fine — all right
  19. clip — a video
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. saw — the tool

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