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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: racket · drill · game · wound · charge · stick · chip · mate

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mate — to breed
  4. charge — in control
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. drill — army training
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chip — for betting
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chip — to eat

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