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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: snap · saw · hand · cap · cue · mate · swing · band

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cap — of ice
  6. band — a music group
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cue — for pool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mate — a friend
  13. swing — in golf
  14. snap — to click
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cue — a hint
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a ring
  21. hand — help
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cue — a signal
  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