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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: rush · rock · club · march · kick · degree · mate · charge

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rock — a stone
  8. charge — a price
  9. club — for golf
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. march — the month
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rock — music
  16. club — a group
  17. kick — in football
  18. mate — to breed
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. charge — in control
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mate — a partner
  24. march — music

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