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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: cold · rash · root · degree · scale · key · charge · file

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. root — the cause
  3. file — a line of people
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. scale — size or range
  7. degree — from a university
  8. key — in music
  9. file — a document
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rash — a series
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rash — hasty
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — an amount
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cold — an illness
  18. scale — in music
  19. file — a tool
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. key — for a lock
  23. charge — in control
  24. key — the most important part

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