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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. cap — a lid
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pit — in a race
  8. charge — a price
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cap — a hat
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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