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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spring — the season
  6. degree — from a university
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. spring — of water
  9. degree — temperature
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. board — to get on
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. board — a committee
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chip — to eat

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