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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 120 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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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: foot · fall · degree · cell · charge · kick · field · ball

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fall — the season
  6. charge — in control
  7. kick — in football
  8. foot — a measure
  9. charge — electricity
  10. ball — a great time
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. field — for sport
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. field — farmland
  19. charge — a price
  20. fall — to drop
  21. field — a subject
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kick — with a leg

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