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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 116 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: kid · cell · pit · mouse · snap · club · clip · squash

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. clip — a video
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kid — child
  6. club — a group
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. squash — to crush
  11. clip — for paper
  12. snap — to click
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. club — for dancing
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. squash — the sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pit — in a race
  24. club — for golf

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