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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: bat · clip · bay · firm · coach · patient · snap · squash

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. firm — steady
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bat — the animal
  14. firm — a company
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. snap — to click
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. clip — to cut
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. firm — decided
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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