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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pit — in a race
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. charge — in control
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pit — a hole
  17. march — music
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. march — the month

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