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

Word bank: deal · snap · mark · racket · cold · cabinet · wave · lie

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. snap — to click
  5. mark — a grade
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mark — a trace
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. lie — an untruth

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