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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mark — a trace
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. charge — in control
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spell — magic
  12. file — a tool
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. charge — a price
  17. mark — a grade
  18. file — a document
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. degree — from a university
  23. spell — letters
  24. fan — to cool the air

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