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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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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. club — a group
  3. chip — for betting
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pop — soda
  6. club — for golf
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stem — to come from
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pop — music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. club — for dancing
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. track — a path
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chip — in a computer

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