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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. pop — music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pop — to visit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. snap — to click
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — soda
  23. spring — a coil
  24. patient — a sick person

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