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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. kick — in football
  3. charge — electricity
  4. face — to confront
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. degree — temperature
  7. charge — a price
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — from a university
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — in control
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. degree — an amount
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wind — moving air
  24. straw — a straw man

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