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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. clip — for paper
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — a video
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. charge — a price
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — high quality
  17. charge — in control
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. charge — electricity
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cell — in biology

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