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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 112 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: swing · deal · degree · object · spring · game · charge · mug

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. swing — to play on
  4. degree — temperature
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. charge — a price
  8. mug — a cup
  9. game — a match
  10. degree — from a university
  11. object — an aim
  12. degree — an amount
  13. game — wild animals
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mug — a face
  19. swing — music
  20. object — to protest
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mug — to rob
  23. object — a thing
  24. spring — of water

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