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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — a series
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — temperature
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mate — a friend
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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