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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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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: bay · cue · game · cap · rock · clip · bank · snap

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rock — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. game — a match
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cap — a lid
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. clip — to cut
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bank — of a river
  23. snap — to click
  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