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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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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 · bear · board · snap · rest · cold · mark · rush

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. board — a committee
  6. rush — hurry
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rest — a break
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. snap — to click
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bear — the animal
  24. board — to get on

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