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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. charge — in control
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chip — for betting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mate — a friend
  14. degree — from a university
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — music
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mate — a partner
  19. swing — in golf
  20. charge — electricity
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. swing — to play on

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