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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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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: sharp · snap · board · hide · can · cabinet · rash · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — hasty
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — tied together
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. board — a committee
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. board — to get on
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rash — a series
  24. hide — to keep secret

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