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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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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. squash — the sport
  10. suit — to fit
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. squash — to crush
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wound — an injury
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. degree — temperature
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bass — low music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. suit — clothes
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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