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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 116 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: charge · mug · wind · degree · clip · bay

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. clip — a video
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. charge — in control
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mug — a face
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mug — a cup

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