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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 120 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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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: cabinet · charge · fall · chest · bore · kick · club · degree

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fall — the season
  4. degree — an amount
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chest — a box
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for golf
  9. bore — to tire
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. charge — a price
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. charge — in control
  21. club — a group
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. charge — electricity

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