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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. game — a match
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. degree — an amount
  10. deal — to handle
  11. charge — electricity
  12. club — a group
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. charge — in control
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — for golf
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. charge — a price
  23. capital — money
  24. club — for dancing

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