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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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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: band · sharp · spring · net · charge · snap · game · rest

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spring — a coil
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. charge — electricity
  12. spring — the season
  13. rest — what's left
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. charge — in control
  16. sharp — clever
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. net — for catching
  19. snap — to click
  20. net — in sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. net — after costs
  23. charge — a price
  24. band — a music group

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