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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 120 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: degree · sharp · swing · charge · wound · bass · net · board

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wound — an injury
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. board — to get on
  10. charge — in control
  11. net — for catching
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bass — low music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — electricity
  20. board — a committee
  21. wound — an injury
  22. degree — from a university
  23. net — in sport
  24. swing — music

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