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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. season — in sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. race — the arms race
  5. net — after costs
  6. file — a tool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. scale — in music
  9. race — a contest
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. race — humankind
  14. degree — an amount
  15. charge — a price
  16. file — a line of people
  17. scale — size or range
  18. degree — from a university
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. file — a document
  21. ball — a dance
  22. charge — electricity
  23. season — of the year
  24. net — for catching

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