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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: object · drill · degree · hand · charge · kid · mine · hide

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. drill — a practice
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hand — in cards
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. object — an aim
  9. kid — to tease
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hand — help
  21. drill — army training
  22. charge — a price
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hide — animal skin

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