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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. chip — for betting
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — a price
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. last — finally
  8. degree — temperature
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. last — final
  16. charge — electricity
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — to go on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. file — a line of people
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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