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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: swing · charge · march · can · bat · tear · degree · arm

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. swing — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — temperature
  6. charge — in control
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tear — from crying
  10. charge — a price
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — an amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — to play on
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. charge — electricity
  24. swing — in golf

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