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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: charge · content · degree · ball · season · track · drill · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ball — a great time
  5. charge — in control
  6. season — of the year
  7. charge — a price
  8. season — in sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ball — a dance
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — an amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. drill — the tool
  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