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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: degree · spell · charge · game · cabinet · straw · clip · hide

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. degree — an amount
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — to cut
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spell — magic
  11. charge — in control
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spell — letters
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. charge — electricity
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cabinet — ministers

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