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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: charge · race · land · degree · cell · lie · bark · chip

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. race — the arms race
  5. charge — electricity
  6. degree — an amount
  7. race — humankind
  8. charge — in control
  9. land — to come down
  10. charge — a price
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — a country
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chip — for betting
  20. race — a contest
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cell — in biology
  23. land — ground
  24. bark — to shout

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