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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: bass · season · fork · cap · clip · degree · trunk · charge

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. charge — in control
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. charge — electricity
  5. season — in sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. charge — a price
  8. season — of the year
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. clip — a video
  12. cap — a lid
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fork — in a road
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bass — the fish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. clip — for paper

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