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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.

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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: rush · charge · nail · degree · mate · land · lash · fine

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fine — all right
  5. land — ground
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mate — a friend
  12. degree — temperature
  13. land — to come down
  14. mate — to breed
  15. charge — in control
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fine — high quality
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. land — a country
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. degree — from a university

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