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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. degree — an amount
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. tear — from crying
  7. net — after costs
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to click
  15. charge — in control
  16. firm — a company
  17. degree — from a university
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. degree — temperature
  22. net — for catching
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bay — a horse colour

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