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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · fall · pound · degree · lie · land · charge · bulb

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. land — a country
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — to recline
  7. charge — in control
  8. bulb — for light
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pound — a weight
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. land — to come down
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a match
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. land — ground
  21. fall — the season
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — to drop

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