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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: snap · hand · cue · season · saw · can · clip · last

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. last — finally
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. season — in sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cue — a hint
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. snap — to click
  13. can — a tin
  14. cue — a signal
  15. last — final
  16. hand — in cards
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. can — to be able to
  19. clip — a video
  20. hand — help
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — to go on
  24. season — of the year

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