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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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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 · charge · snap · deal · tear · squash · cap · face

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. snap — to click
  3. charge — a price
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. face — to confront
  9. deal — to handle
  10. charge — electricity
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. charge — in control
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cap — a hat
  22. tear — from crying
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. face — part of the head

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