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

Word bank: kick · degree · present · chip · charge · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. charge — a price
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. present — a gift
  5. charge — electricity
  6. chip — to eat
  7. race — humankind
  8. charge — in control
  9. present — there
  10. degree — from a university
  11. race — a contest
  12. kick — in football
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. present — the time now
  18. chip — in a computer

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