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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 · degree · date · rest · file · dip · kid · board

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. board — a committee
  5. degree — temperature
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — child
  8. degree — an amount
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — to sink
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a tool
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. degree — from a university
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. charge — in control
  18. date — the fruit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. charge — electricity
  22. file — a document
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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