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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. charge — in control
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. degree — temperature
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pitch — completely
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. charge — a price
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cold — not warm
  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