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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. drill — a practice
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — the tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. race — the arms race
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. degree — temperature
  9. shower — to wash
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. drill — army training
  12. charge — electricity
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. charge — in control
  17. shower — rain
  18. degree — from a university
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. race — a contest
  21. board — a committee
  22. race — humankind
  23. board — to get on
  24. snap — to click

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