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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fall — the season
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fall — to drop
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ball — a great time
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ball — a dance
  13. chip — to eat
  14. charge — in control
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — a price
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bat — for baseball

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