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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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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: deal · bound · drill · charge · degree · stock · chest · ground

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. charge — a price
  3. ground — the earth
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ground — crushed
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stock — goods
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chest — a box
  14. bound — certain
  15. ground — a position
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. drill — a practice
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chest — of your body
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stock — shares
  23. charge — in control
  24. degree — from a university

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