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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: calf · kid · charge · deal · degree · cell

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. charge — a price
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. cell — a phone
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. charge — in control
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. degree — an amount
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. charge — electricity

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