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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cap — a lid
  3. charge — a price
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. charge — in control
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — for golf
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wound — an injury
  13. degree — from a university
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spell — letters
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — a group
  21. spell — magic
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. racket — for tennis

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