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

Word bank: spell · toast · snap · kid · ground · track · temple · charge

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ground — the earth
  3. kid — child
  4. spell — letters
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. track — to keep track
  8. toast — bread
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ground — a position
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kid — to tease
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to click
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. charge — electricity

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