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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: degree · sharp · roll · deal · ground · charge · wound · pitch

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. charge — in control
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitch — completely
  7. roll — a cake
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. roll — a list
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. charge — electricity
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ground — a position
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. deal — to handle
  20. charge — a price
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — the earth
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ground — crushed

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