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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: cap · snap · hand · cue · clip · roll · field · firm

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — a company
  4. clip — for paper
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. snap — to click
  8. firm — decided
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cap — a lid
  11. field — farmland
  12. roll — a list
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. field — for sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. cue — a signal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. roll — a cake
  22. field — a subject
  23. cue — for pool
  24. hand — in cards

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