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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. charge — in control
  5. degree — temperature
  6. suit — clothes
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. game — a match
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — electricity
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. game — wild animals
  14. suit — to fit
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. charge — a price
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — in football
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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