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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: pound · game · degree · cabinet · charge · rock · saw · kick

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. charge — in control
  12. game — a match
  13. rock — a stone
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kick — in football
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rock — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. charge — electricity
  24. game — wild animals

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