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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: charge · snap · temple · racket · pound · net · patient · chip

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. chip — for betting
  9. net — in sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pound — a weight
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — for catching
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. charge — electricity
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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