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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chip — to eat
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ground — a position
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rash — a series
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — the earth
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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