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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: degree · mug · scale · charge · can · bat · staff · snap

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — to rob
  3. charge — electricity
  4. degree — from a university
  5. staff — employees
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — the animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mug — a face
  11. can — a tin
  12. snap — to click
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. degree — an amount
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mug — a cup
  21. charge — a price
  22. scale — in music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. staff — a stick

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