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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 116 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: bound · wind · snap · cabinet · sharp · cue · dip · race

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bound — certain
  7. snap — to click
  8. race — humankind
  9. bound — obliged
  10. race — a contest
  11. dip — to sink
  12. sharp — clever
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wind — moving air
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bound — tied together
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a signal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cue — for pool

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