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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.

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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: toast · bark · degree · charge · safe · race · kick · leaves

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. race — humankind
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kick — in football
  5. toast — bread
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. race — a contest
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. degree — temperature
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. degree — from a university
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. race — the arms race
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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