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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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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: ball · deal · degree · bound · chip · charge · net · staff

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ball — a great time
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. degree — temperature
  5. net — for catching
  6. bound — tied together
  7. deal — to handle
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bound — certain
  12. charge — in control
  13. net — after costs
  14. charge — a price
  15. chip — to eat
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. staff — employees
  21. chip — for betting
  22. net — in sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. deal — a big deal

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