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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: last · ground · foot · degree · charge · mine · row · cold

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. row — to paddle
  3. last — final
  4. ground — crushed
  5. charge — a price
  6. degree — temperature
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — from a university
  10. last — finally
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ground — a position
  13. cold — not warm
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — a measure
  16. charge — electricity
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. last — to go on
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. row — a line
  23. cold — an illness
  24. foot — part of the body

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