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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: bass · wound · board · cold · deal · toast · snap · mug

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. snap — to click
  3. toast — bread
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mug — to rob
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. board — a committee
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mug — a face
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mug — a cup
  17. deal — to handle
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bass — low music
  24. board — to get on

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