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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: charge · current · chip · degree · lie · kick · wound · bat

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. charge — a price
  3. bat — the animal
  4. charge — in control
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lie — to recline
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. chip — to eat
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. chip — for betting
  22. degree — temperature
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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