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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lie — to recline
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stock — shares
  7. mug — to rob
  8. net — for catching
  9. board — a committee
  10. snap — to click
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stock — goods
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mug — a face
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — a cup
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. deal — to handle
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. board — to get on

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