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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.

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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: pitcher · season · dip · shower · bay · swing · charge · degree

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. degree — an amount
  6. charge — a price
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. shower — rain
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. charge — in control
  21. swing — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. degree — from a university

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