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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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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. charge — in control
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chip — for betting
  5. object — a thing
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ground — crushed
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. object — an aim
  14. charge — a price
  15. ground — a position
  16. object — to protest
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. degree — from a university
  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