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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: chest · board · mug · dip · sharp · snap · season · wound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chest — a box
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mug — a cup
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. board — to get on
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. season — of the year
  20. chest — of your body
  21. dip — to sink
  22. board — a committee
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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