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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: fine · charge · wind · bore · snap · field · racket · roll

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. roll — a cake
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wind — moving air
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. roll — a list
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bore — to tire
  17. snap — to click
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bore — to drill
  20. field — for sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bore — gave birth

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