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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. board — a committee
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. board — to get on
  13. ground — a position
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ground — crushed
  21. hand — help
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. snap — to click
  24. bound — tied together

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