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

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. snap — to click
  5. board — a committee
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. board — to get on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. file — a tool
  14. hand — help
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a document
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. hand — in cards
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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