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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · ground · deal · clip · degree · charge · nail · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. charge — in control
  4. clip — to cut
  5. charge — a price
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fall — the season
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. degree — from a university
  11. ground — the earth
  12. clip — a video
  13. ground — a position
  14. deal — to handle
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. degree — temperature
  18. clip — for paper
  19. degree — an amount
  20. charge — electricity
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fall — to drop
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ground — crushed

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