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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: game · spell · file · fall · charge · kick · degree · bowl

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. spell — letters
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — wild animals
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — magic
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fall — to drop
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. file — a line of people
  20. degree — from a university
  21. charge — in control
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fall — the season
  24. degree — an amount

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