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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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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: charge · bowl · shower · pitch · swing · deal · degree · kick

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. charge — a price
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. charge — in control
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. swing — in golf
  15. charge — electricity
  16. degree — from a university
  17. deal — to handle
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. swing — music
  24. deal — a big deal

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