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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: temple · last · field · charge · degree · mate · current · chip

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. degree — an amount
  3. current — of water
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mate — to breed
  6. degree — from a university
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mate — a friend
  9. last — finally
  10. chip — to eat
  11. charge — a price
  12. last — to go on
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. charge — in control
  15. field — for sport
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — a subject
  18. degree — temperature
  19. current — happening now
  20. field — farmland
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. current — electric
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. last — final

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