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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. charge — a price
  5. snap — to click
  6. swing — in golf
  7. season — in sport
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cue — for pool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. swing — to play on
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. swing — music
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. charge — in control
  22. season — of the year
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cue — a signal

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