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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 120 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: arm · clip · bore · game · degree · charge · leaves · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. dip — to sink
  2. bore — to drill
  3. charge — electricity
  4. clip — a video
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. degree — an amount
  8. charge — a price
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. clip — to cut
  11. charge — in control
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bore — to tire
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  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