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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: charge · clip · bowl · lie · fall · nail · season · degree

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. degree — an amount
  5. charge — a price
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. season — of the year
  10. charge — in control
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lie — to recline
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — from a university
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — a video
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. charge — electricity
  23. season — in sport
  24. fall — the season

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