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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.

Make a worksheet

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: clip · degree · fan · charge · fine · wind · dip · object

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wind — moving air
  5. clip — for paper
  6. degree — temperature
  7. object — an aim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — in control
  10. object — a thing
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fine — all right
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. degree — from a university
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. object — to protest
  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