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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. last — to go on
  3. degree — an amount
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bound — obliged
  6. last — finally
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. last — final
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stem — to come from
  11. degree — from a university
  12. charge — electricity
  13. degree — temperature
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. charge — in control
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. nail — for a hammer

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