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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. court — of law
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — for sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. present — a gift
  7. staff — employees
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — electricity
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. staff — employees
  12. degree — an amount
  13. court — of a king
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. staff — a stick
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. charge — in control
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. present — there
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. degree — from a university

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