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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: charge · degree · stock · object · sharp · key · leaves · last

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. degree — temperature
  5. object — a thing
  6. key — in music
  7. charge — a price
  8. stock — goods
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stock — shares
  14. degree — from a university
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. charge — electricity
  17. degree — an amount
  18. object — an aim
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. key — for a lock
  22. last — to go on
  23. charge — in control
  24. leaves — of a tree

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