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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: safe · net · land · charge · key · rule · degree · spell

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rule — government
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. key — in music
  10. land — ground
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. charge — a price
  13. land — to come down
  14. charge — in control
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rule — a law
  17. key — for a lock
  18. net — for catching
  19. spell — letters
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. charge — electricity
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — a country
  24. net — in sport

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