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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: cap · clip · snap · saw · kick · wave · present · chair

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cap — a lid
  3. clip — to cut
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. present — a gift
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. present — the time now
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. snap — to click

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