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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mark — a trace
  4. board — to get on
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. board — a committee
  7. kid — to tease
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. lean — thin
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. hand — help
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hand — in cards
  24. deal — a big deal

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