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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: land · bore · stand · fork · charge · racket · mark · degree

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. degree — from a university
  3. land — to come down
  4. fork — in a road
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bore — to drill
  7. land — ground
  8. charge — a price
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — temperature
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. charge — in control
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. land — a country
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stand — to bear
  24. degree — an amount

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