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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.

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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: bulb · charge · land · fall · rash · degree · kick · hand

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rash — a series
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — a price
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. degree — from a university
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — to come down
  14. charge — in control
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — a country
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — an amount
  22. land — ground
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kick — a thrill

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