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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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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 · mine · lash · staff · mug · kick · pitcher · degree

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. staff — employees
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mug — to rob
  17. degree — from a university
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. charge — in control
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. charge — a price
  23. kick — in football
  24. degree — an amount

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