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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. degree — from a university
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitch — completely
  6. degree — an amount
  7. charge — a price
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — a line
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. degree — temperature
  14. staff — employees
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chip — for betting
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. season — in sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitch — a sports field

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