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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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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: charge · game · date · trunk · clip · bore · mug · degree

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. degree — from a university
  5. charge — a price
  6. clip — for paper
  7. date — the fruit
  8. game — wild animals
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mug — a cup
  11. game — a match
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. charge — electricity
  15. degree — temperature
  16. charge — in control
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mug — a face
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mug — to rob

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