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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: sharp · charge · degree · wound · squash · stick · rule · bat

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. charge — a price
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rule — government
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. squash — the sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rule — a law
  23. degree — an amount
  24. squash — to crush

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