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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: clip · snap · cue · cap · kick · hand · perch · prune

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cue — for pool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to click
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — help
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. clip — a video
  13. kick — in football
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cap — a hat
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cue — a hint
  22. perch — the fish
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. clip — for paper

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