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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · snap · racket · fine · tube · face · march · band

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. charge — a price
  4. tube — a container
  5. march — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — to confront
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fine — all right
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tube — the underground
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — high quality
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. face — part of the head
  17. charge — in control
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. face — to point toward
  20. charge — electricity
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a music group
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. band — a ring

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