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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ground — crushed
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bank — for money
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bank — of a river
  15. march — the month
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — for digging
  22. degree — from a university
  23. march — music
  24. lie — to recline

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