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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: cap · rush · safe · track · swing · clip · snap · game

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cap — of ice
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cap — a lid
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. track — to keep track
  8. swing — in golf
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rush — hurry
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. clip — a video
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. clip — for paper
  15. swing — music
  16. game — a match
  17. track — a path
  18. swing — to play on
  19. clip — to cut
  20. track — a song
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rush — to hurry

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