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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. march — the month
  3. can — to be able to
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. charge — a price
  10. cap — a lid
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. march — the month
  14. ground — a position
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cap — a hat
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chip — to eat
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rash — a series
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — music

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