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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cold — not warm
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rash — a series
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cold — an illness
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. charge — in control
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — an amount
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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