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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. board — to get on
  11. cold — an illness
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to click
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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