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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mine — for digging
  3. charge — a price
  4. swing — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. degree — from a university
  11. charge — in control
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. degree — an amount
  15. game — a match
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. branch — a division
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. swing — to play on
  21. degree — temperature
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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