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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · season · charge · degree · hide · rush · cell · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — from a university
  9. staff — employees
  10. charge — a price
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. season — in sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — of the year
  18. charge — in control
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. charge — electricity

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