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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: track · season · club · mine · hand · charge · rush · snap

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mine — for digging
  4. season — of the year
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. club — a group
  8. snap — to click
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. charge — in control
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — hurry
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. club — for golf
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. charge — a price
  24. track — a path

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