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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. snap — to click
  3. suit — in cards
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. firm — steady
  6. charge — in control
  7. degree — from a university
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pop — to visit
  11. court — of a king
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rash — a series
  14. court — for sport
  15. pop — music
  16. firm — a company
  17. pop — soda
  18. court — of law
  19. firm — decided
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rash — hasty
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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