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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: key · cap · snap · root · clip · shower · deal · kid

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kid — child
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. snap — to click
  7. shower — to wash
  8. root — of a plant
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. shower — rain
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. cap — of ice
  23. kid — to tease
  24. clip — for paper

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