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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: file · last · object · charge · ruler · degree · wound · snap

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. last — finally
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. file — a tool
  7. charge — electricity
  8. last — to go on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. charge — a price
  11. degree — temperature
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. object — an aim
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. last — final
  16. charge — in control
  17. object — to protest
  18. degree — an amount
  19. file — a document
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wound — an injury
  23. snap — to click
  24. object — a thing

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