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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. file — a tool
  3. charge — electricity
  4. degree — temperature
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — to confront
  7. degree — from a university
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. land — a country
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — ground
  15. file — a document
  16. face — to point toward
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. charge — a price
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. charge — in control
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. file — a line of people
  24. face — part of the head

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