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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: chip · charge · face · spell · pop · degree · stick · spring

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. degree — from a university
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spell — letters
  5. pop — soda
  6. face — to confront
  7. charge — in control
  8. chip — for betting
  9. degree — temperature
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. degree — an amount
  17. spring — the season
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spring — of water
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spell — magic
  24. pop — music

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