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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: root · race · can · degree · cue · bound · kid · charge

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bound — tied together
  4. can — to be able to
  5. charge — a price
  6. degree — an amount
  7. charge — in control
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bound — certain
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bound — obliged
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. charge — electricity
  15. race — humankind
  16. cue — a hint
  17. race — a contest
  18. root — of a word
  19. cue — for pool
  20. root — the cause
  21. degree — from a university
  22. root — of a plant
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. degree — temperature

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