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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. degree — from a university
  3. charge — in control
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. race — humankind
  7. craft — boats
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — thin
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. race — a contest
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. charge — a price
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. craft — a skill
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — the arms race
  24. kid — child

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