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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: club · clip · bay · swing · suit · cap · hide · snap

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. club — for golf
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cap — a lid
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. swing — music
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. swing — to play on
  13. clip — to cut
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. club — for dancing
  16. snap — to click
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. clip — a video
  19. swing — in golf
  20. suit — clothes
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. suit — in cards
  23. club — a group
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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