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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.

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: mate · degree · capital · drill · arm · dip · charge · mug

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mate — to breed
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mug — to rob
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. charge — in control
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mug — a face
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mug — a cup
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. charge — electricity
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. charge — a price
  21. drill — army training
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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