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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. firm — decided
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. firm — a company
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spell — a short time
  9. squash — to crush
  10. firm — steady
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — the sport
  15. game — a match
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. charge — electricity
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. degree — temperature
  23. key — the most important part
  24. degree — from a university

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