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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: cell · hand · clip · charge · prune · pitch · face · degree

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cell — in biology
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — electricity
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hand — help
  9. clip — for paper
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. face — to point toward
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to confront
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. charge — in control
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — a price

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