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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · mate · wound · pit · charge · degree · pass · season

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pit — in a race
  6. charge — a price
  7. season — of the year
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. charge — electricity
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bass — the fish
  22. season — in sport
  23. degree — temperature
  24. charge — in control

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