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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: degree · racket · can · game · club · craft · kid · charge

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. club — a group
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — a price
  6. craft — a skill
  7. club — for golf
  8. charge — in control
  9. game — wild animals
  10. kid — child
  11. degree — temperature
  12. craft — boats
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — a tin
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. degree — from a university
  18. can — to be able to
  19. charge — electricity
  20. club — for dancing
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — a match
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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