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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 120 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: cap · ball · squash · row · coach · firm · snap · clip

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. row — to paddle
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ball — a dance
  9. squash — to crush
  10. firm — a company
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cap — a hat
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. firm — steady
  16. squash — the sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. clip — a video
  22. ball — a great time
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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