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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: dip · wound · leaves · jam · charge · ball · net · snap

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. net — after costs
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. net — in sport
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ball — a dance
  15. charge — in control
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wound — an injury
  20. net — for catching
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. dip — to sink
  24. leaves — of a tree

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