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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 120 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cold — not warm
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — shares
  17. cold — an illness
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pop — soda
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stock — goods
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. branch — a division
  24. degree — from a university

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