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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
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: file · kid · degree · season · racket · band · sharp · charge

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a document
  4. band — a music group
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. degree — temperature
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a ring
  13. sharp — clever
  14. season — in sport
  15. kid — child
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — from a university
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. file — a line of people
  24. charge — in control

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