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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: pound · mine · track · last · charge · degree · cap · racket

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. charge — in control
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a path
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. last — to go on
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. cap — of ice
  24. degree — temperature

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