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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. roll — a cake
  7. game — a match
  8. swing — in golf
  9. game — wild animals
  10. swing — music
  11. last — final
  12. degree — from a university
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. last — to go on
  15. charge — a price
  16. last — finally
  17. charge — electricity
  18. roll — a list
  19. hand — help
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — to turn a key

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