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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: charge · nail · season · wind · track · game · snap · cell

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cell — a phone
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — in sport
  7. track — a song
  8. charge — a price
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. game — a match
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. charge — electricity
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. season — of the year
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. track — a path
  23. charge — in control
  24. snap — to click

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