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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · spell · bowl · wound · snap · chip · craft · cold

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. board — a committee
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. board — to get on
  6. craft — boats
  7. cold — not warm
  8. spell — magic
  9. snap — to click
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — a short time
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spell — letters
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. craft — a skill

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