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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pitch — completely
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. charge — in control
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spring — a coil
  21. charge — a price
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. hand — help

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