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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: content · fine · charge · court · racket · swing · pound · degree

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. content — the amount
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. content — happy
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. fine — all right
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. degree — an amount
  15. court — of law
  16. degree — temperature
  17. swing — in golf
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. charge — electricity
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. swing — to play on
  23. court — of a king
  24. fine — high quality

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