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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 116 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
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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: bat · fan · degree · charge · nail · net · staff · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. net — for catching
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. charge — in control
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — temperature
  12. staff — a stick
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. charge — a price
  20. degree — from a university
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. net — after costs
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — in sport

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