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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 · season · hand · vault · game · rest · snap · kick

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rest — what's left
  5. charge — electricity
  6. game — a match
  7. vault — a safe
  8. hand — in cards
  9. season — of the year
  10. snap — to click
  11. season — in sport
  12. hand — help
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. charge — in control
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. game — wild animals
  19. charge — a price
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. game — a kind of play

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