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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: bay · game · ground · degree · date · charge · tear · wake

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. game — wild animals
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. charge — in control
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wake — a trail
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. degree — from a university
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. game — a match
  19. date — the fruit
  20. charge — a price
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bay — a horse colour

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