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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. land — a country
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. swing — to play on
  7. degree — an amount
  8. charge — electricity
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ball — a great time
  11. charge — in control
  12. swing — in golf
  13. root — the cause
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. snap — to click
  16. root — of a word
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. land — to come down
  20. charge — a price
  21. root — of a plant
  22. swing — music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. land — ground

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