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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. roll — a list
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fork — in a road
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. charge — in control
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. degree — an amount
  11. net — for catching
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chip — to eat
  14. net — in sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — for betting
  18. season — in sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. season — of the year
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. degree — temperature

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