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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: snap · bowl · rock · charge · wake · arm

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rock — music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wake — a trail
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. charge — a price
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. charge — in control
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. snap — to click
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. arm — part of the body

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