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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 · rash · rule · charge · squash · sharp · pitch · ground

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. charge — in control
  4. rash — hasty
  5. squash — to crush
  6. charge — electricity
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ground — the earth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. charge — a price
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ground — a position
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rule — a law
  22. pitch — completely
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rule — government

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