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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: race · bass · net · mate · bore · degree · press · charge

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. race — humankind
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — in control
  5. mate — to breed
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bass — the fish
  8. charge — electricity
  9. press — to push
  10. bore — to tire
  11. press — newspapers
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. charge — a price
  16. net — for catching
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mate — a partner
  21. race — a contest
  22. bass — low music
  23. net — in sport
  24. bore — gave birth

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