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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pop — music
  13. pitch — completely
  14. charge — a price
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — a series
  23. degree — temperature
  24. charge — electricity

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