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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 120 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: cap · saw · board · object · cold · rash · cabinet · snap

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rash — a series
  3. object — a thing
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — an aim
  10. saw — the tool
  11. board — a committee
  12. snap — to click
  13. rash — hasty
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. object — to protest
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cap — a lid

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