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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: charge · sharp · drill · court · pitcher · chest · degree · staff

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chest — a box
  5. court — of law
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. charge — a price
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. court — of a king
  10. charge — electricity
  11. drill — army training
  12. charge — in control
  13. degree — an amount
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. drill — a practice
  17. court — for sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — from a university
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. staff — employees

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