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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stem — to come from
  7. swing — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. swing — to play on
  10. charge — a price
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wound — an injury
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cue — a signal
  24. charge — in control

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