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

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. snap — to click
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cold — not warm
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cold — an illness
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lie — to recline
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — of water
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. board — a flat piece

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