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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cold — an illness
  3. present — the time now
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. board — a committee
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to click
  18. present — there
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — a gift

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