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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. degree — temperature
  5. shower — to wash
  6. land — ground
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. charge — in control
  9. hand — in cards
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. degree — an amount
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. shower — rain
  15. hand — help
  16. club — for golf
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. charge — electricity
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. club — a group
  23. degree — from a university
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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