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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · spell · snap · cap · wound · game · pop · chip

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. game — a match
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pop — music
  6. snap — to click
  7. pop — soda
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — letters
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cap — a lid
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — to visit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chip — to eat
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cap — of ice
  24. racket — for tennis

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