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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. snap — to click
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chair — a leader
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — low music
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. charge — in control
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bass — the fish
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chair — to sit 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