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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · calf · cell · degree · charge · field

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. degree — temperature
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. field — farmland
  8. snap — to click
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. degree — an amount
  16. charge — electricity
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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