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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: bark · content · ball · degree · rush · charge · season · cap

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bark — to shout
  4. season — of the year
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — in sport
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cap — a hat
  11. charge — in control
  12. cap — a lid
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ball — a dance
  17. charge — a price
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. content — the amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. content — happy
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

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