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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: cold · mouse · rock · fine · snap · board · lie · wound

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. board — a committee
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fine — all right
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. board — to get on
  20. snap — to click
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rock — music

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