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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: cold · can · charge · degree · pop · foot · drill · fall

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. pop — soda
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cold — an illness
  10. charge — in control
  11. foot — a measure
  12. charge — a price
  13. pop — to visit
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. drill — a practice
  17. degree — from a university
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cold — not warm
  20. degree — an amount
  21. drill — army training
  22. fall — to drop
  23. charge — electricity
  24. degree — temperature

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