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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: racket · mine · deal · charge · saw · last · rash · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. last — finally
  3. charge — a price
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. last — to go on
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. deal — to handle
  9. degree — from a university
  10. charge — electricity
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. degree — an amount
  13. last — final
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rash — a series
  17. saw — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. saw — the tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rash — hasty
  24. charge — in control

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