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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. charge — a price
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — to handle
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. charge — electricity
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. land — to come down
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. land — a country
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — ground
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. charge — in control
  22. band — a ring
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. degree — from a university

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