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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: wound · snap · racket · game · charge · mark · chair · last

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. last — final
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. snap — to click
  10. charge — a price
  11. last — to go on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. game — a match
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. last — finally
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. racket — for tennis
  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