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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. race — a contest
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pass — a permit
  8. race — humankind
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. charge — a price
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. charge — in control
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. race — the arms race

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