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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.

Make a worksheet

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: degree · calf · date · field · charge · cell · land · key

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cell — a phone
  3. charge — in control
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — ground
  7. degree — an amount
  8. charge — electricity
  9. field — a subject
  10. land — a country
  11. key — the most important part
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. field — for sport
  14. date — the fruit
  15. field — farmland
  16. degree — from a university
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — temperature
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — in music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. key — for a lock
  24. charge — a price

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