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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.

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: degree · file · dip · calf · mate · band · lie · charge

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. band — a music group
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. band — a ring
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. charge — in control
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. charge — a price
  16. file — a document
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. charge — electricity
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lie — to recline
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mate — a partner
  24. band — a rubber band

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