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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — an amount
  3. charge — in control
  4. cold — an illness
  5. degree — temperature
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. degree — from a university
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — a price
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cold — not warm
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ball — a dance
  21. roll — a list
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. roll — a cake

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