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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 116 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: mine · capital · charge · ball · root · season · degree · last

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. capital — money
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. degree — from a university
  5. charge — a price
  6. root — the cause
  7. last — to go on
  8. mine — for digging
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a great time
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. root — of a word
  15. last — finally
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. last — final
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — electricity
  22. capital — a city
  23. season — in sport
  24. degree — an amount

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