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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — from a university
  3. spell — letters
  4. track — a path
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. charge — electricity
  8. degree — temperature
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. track — a song
  12. charge — in control
  13. cue — a signal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. degree — an amount
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — a hint
  19. track — to keep track
  20. spell — magic
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pass — a permit
  23. charge — a price
  24. content — happy

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