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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 116 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 · pitcher · charge · chair · pop · net · stock · lean

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stock — shares
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chair — a leader
  8. net — for catching
  9. pop — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — after costs
  16. degree — from a university
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. pop — soda
  20. stock — goods
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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