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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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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: cabinet · jam · hide · racket · mate · snap · firm · clip

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. firm — a company
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. mate — to breed
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mate — a friend
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. firm — steady
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. firm — decided
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. snap — to click
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hide — animal skin

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