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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. degree — from a university
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. court — for sport
  8. charge — in control
  9. court — of a king
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. court — of law
  17. degree — temperature
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pit — in a race
  20. club — a group
  21. charge — a price
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bass — low 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