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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ground — a position
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. charge — in control
  21. board — to get on
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ground — the earth
  24. degree — an amount

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