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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. charge — a price
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. season — in sport
  7. degree — temperature
  8. dip — to sink
  9. degree — an amount
  10. scale — in music
  11. present — a gift
  12. degree — from a university
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. charge — in control
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — a measure
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. season — of the year
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. present — there

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