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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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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: clip · cabinet · safe · degree · stock · game · bulb · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. stock — shares
  3. bulb — for light
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. game — a match
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. clip — a video
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. charge — electricity
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — goods
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — in control
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stock — a soup base

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