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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · game · wound · charge · degree · land · pop · rush

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pop — soda
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — a price
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. land — ground
  8. pop — to visit
  9. charge — electricity
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pop — music
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. degree — an amount
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — an injury
  19. suit — clothes
  20. degree — temperature
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. charge — in control
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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