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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: swing · stock · pound · degree · object · charge · lash · mate

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. degree — from a university
  5. object — an aim
  6. stock — shares
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mate — a partner
  9. swing — in golf
  10. object — a thing
  11. charge — in control
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stock — goods
  18. swing — music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stock — a soup base

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