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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.

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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: content · jam · chair · degree · chip · track · root · charge

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chair — a leader
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — a path
  6. content — the amount
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. track — a song
  14. degree — temperature
  15. charge — in control
  16. content — happy
  17. charge — a price
  18. track — to keep track
  19. root — the cause
  20. charge — electricity
  21. chip — to eat
  22. root — of a word
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. content — videos and posts

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