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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. court — of law
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — finally
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — to go on
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. can — to be able to
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. charge — a price
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chip — in a computer

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