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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bat — the animal
  3. charge — electricity
  4. key — in music
  5. club — for golf
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bound — certain
  8. court — of a king
  9. degree — temperature
  10. court — for sport
  11. club — for dancing
  12. degree — an amount
  13. court — of law
  14. club — a group
  15. key — the most important part
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rush — hurry

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