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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. board — to get on
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to click
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. board — a committee
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wound — an injury

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