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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 120 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
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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: degree · sharp · squash · ground · game · fall · bass · charge

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. charge — a price
  3. ground — the earth
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fall — to drop
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. charge — in control
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. charge — electricity
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fall — to drop
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — a match
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ground — a position
  18. fall — the season
  19. bass — the fish
  20. sharp — clever
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — low music
  24. degree — an amount

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