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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — of water
  4. net — in sport
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — for catching
  8. stock — goods
  9. swing — music
  10. firm — decided
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. net — after costs
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stock — shares
  20. lie — to recline
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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