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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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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 · pitcher · snap · race · hand · trunk · cabinet · track

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. snap — to click
  3. charge — in control
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. charge — a price
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hand — help
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hand — in cards
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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