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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: rush · face · snap · kid · mine · cap · clip · safe

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. kid — child
  8. face — to confront
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kid — to tease
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mine — for digging

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